Patent ID: 8318240

Claim:
A method of detecting and removing at least one defect from solar cells, comprising: providing a solar cell including a back side and a front light receiving side disposed over the back side, wherein the back side includes a substrate, and the front light receiving side includes a photovoltaic layer disposed over the substrate and a terminal disposed over the photovoltaic layer; detecting the at least one defect in at least one area of the solar cell; and mechanically cutting out at least one segment including the at least one defect and a surrounding portion of the photovoltaic layer and the substrate around the at least one defect to remove the at least one defect from the solar cell, wherein the step of mechanically cutting out the at least one segment leaves a cavity extending between and including the front light receiving side and back side of the solar cell including the substrate wherein the step of mechanically cutting is performed by a punch that is laterally and longitudinally movable across the surface of the solar cell for accurate positioning over the at least one defect, and wherein the punch mechanically cuts through the solar cell to remove the at least one segment including the at least one defect.