Patent ID: 7910392

Claim:
A method for fabricating solar cells for a solar panel, the method comprising: providing a first substrate member comprising a plurality of photovoltaic strips thereon; providing an optical elastomer material overlying a portion of the first substrate member; aligning a second substrate member comprising a plurality of optical concentrating elements thereon such that at least one of the optical concentrating elements is operably coupled to at least one of the plurality of photovoltaic strips, wherein the second substrate member comprises an aperture surface region and an exit surface region; coupling the first substrate member directly to the second substrate member to form an interface region along a first peripheral region of the first substrate member and along a second peripheral region of the second substrate member; blocking an inner region of the aperture surface region of the second substrate member while exposing the peripheral region of the aperture surface region of the second substrate member; and irradiating an entirety of the second peripheral region of the second substrate member using an electromagnetic radiation to cause a melt region and seal the interface region between the second substrate and the first substrate.