Threshold switching in solar cells and a no-scribe photovoltaic technology

Abstract: We show that thin film CdTe solar cells exhibit the phenomenon of threshold switching similar to that in phase change and resistive memory. It creates a conductive filament (shunt) through the solar cell reaching the buried electrode, such as the transparent conductive oxide (TCO) in CdTe based photovoltaics (PV). While in the existing PV the buried electrode was routinely contacted via laser scribe filled metals, our work paves a way to an alternative technology of no-scribe PV.