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

We show that thin film CdTe solar cells exhibit the same phenomenon of threshold switching as the one established in phase change and resistive memory. That switching 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 of no-scribe PV with potential cost and reliability advantages.