Patent ID: 7759572

Claim:
A solar cell semiconductor device comprising: a semiconductor body having a sequence of layers of semiconductor material including a first region in which the sequence of layers of semiconductor material forms a sequence of cells of a multijunction solar cell with a top layer of a top cell having a first polarity; and a second region in which the sequence of layers is laterally spaced apart and laterally separated from said first region and in which the sequence of layers forms a support for an integral bypass diode to protect said sequence of cells against reverse biasing at less than breakdown voltage, a bottom layer of the bypass diode having said first polarity; a metal layer in contact with the sequence of layers of semiconductor material disposed underneath the bypass diode in the second region, the metal layer shorting the layers of semiconductor material under the bypass diode in the second region; wherein the first region and the second region have an identical sequence of layers where each layer in the first region has the same composition and thickness as the corresponding layer in the second region, subject to normal manufacturing variations, and form the semiconductor body.