NOVELTY - Forming several solar cells mounted on a carrier involves providing a first semiconductor substrate (101); depositing on the first substrate a sequence of layers of semiconductor material forming a solar cell structure; forming a metal back contact layer over the solar cell structure; mounting a carrier on top of the metal back contact; removing the first substrate; and lithographically patterning and etching the solar cell structure to form several discrete solar cells mounted on the carrier.    USE - For forming solar cell (claimed) used in terrestrial concentrator photovoltaic applications.    ADVANTAGE - The method provides interconnection of solar cell by welding, soldering or wire bonding, and since such interconnections done on one wafer at a time, the set-up costs are much less than if individual discrete cells are to be aligned and die-bonded onto a platform and then interconnected; and has higher packing density.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Forming several solar cells mounted on a carrier involves providing a first semiconductor substrate (101); depositing on the first substrate a sequence of layers of semiconductor material forming a solar cell structure; forming a metal back contact layer over the solar cell structure; mounting a carrier on top of the metal back contact; removing the first substrate; lithographically patterning and etching the solar cell structure to form several discrete solar cells mounted on the carrier; thinning the carrier to a predetermined thickness; interconnecting the discrete solar cells mounted on the carrier by discrete conductors; connecting the at least one solar cell and paid bypass diode in parallel; patterning the contact layer into a grid; etching a trough around the periphery of the discrete solar cells so as to form a several mesa structures on carrier; thinning the carrier and mounting the solar cell on a support. The carrier is selected from Ge, GaAs, or silicon. The interconnection between the solar cell and paid bypass diode is performed by welding, soldering or wire bonding. The upper subcell is composed of InGa(Al)P. The middle subcell is composed of GaAs, GaInP, GaInAs, GaAsSb, or GaInAsN emitter region and a GaAs, GaInAs, GaAsSb, or GaInAsN base region. An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is included for multifunction solar cell array comprising a several solar cells mounted on a carrier, each solar cell including a first solar subcell having first band gap, a second solar subcell disposed over the first solar subcell having a second band gap smaller than the first band gap; a graded interlayer disposed over the second subcell having a third band gap greater than the second band gap, a third solar subcell disposed over the graded interlayer having a fourth band gap smaller than the second band gap such that the third subcell is lattice mismatched with respect to the second subcell, and an electrical interconnect extending between respective pairs of the solar cells to connect the cells in an electrical circuit.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The figure shows cross-sectional view of the solar cell.    Substrate (10)    Buffer layer (102)    Etch stop layer (103)    Contact layer (104)    Window layer (105)