Patent ID: 8383929

Claim:
A method of patterning a photovoltaic module comprising a nonplanar back-electrode layer around a nonplanar substrate, the method comprising: a. scribing the nonplanar back-electrode layer thereby forming a first groove in the back-electrode that traverses a perimeter of the back-electrode a plurality of times; b. disposing a semiconductor junction around the back-electrode layer after the scribing step (a); c. scribing the semiconductor junction thereby forming a second groove in the semiconductor junction that traverses a perimeter of the semiconductor junction a plurality of times; d. disposing a transparent conductor layer around the semiconductor junction after the scribing step (c); e. scribing the transparent conductor layer thereby forming a third groove in the transparent conductor layer that traverses a perimeter of the transparent conductor layer a plurality of times; and f. scribing the back-electrode layer, the semiconductor junction, and the transparent conductor layer along a length of the photovoltaic module thereby forming a fourth groove, wherein the fourth groove and at least one of the first groove, the second groove, and the third groove define a plurality of solar cells, wherein each solar cell in the plurality of solar cells comprises a portion of the back electrode layer bounded by the first groove and the fourth groove, a portion of the semiconductor junction bounded by the second groove and the fourth groove, and a portion of the transparent conductor layer bounded by the third groove and the fourth groove.