NOVELTY - An article combining a photovoltaic cell (10) and a unit of interconnection substrate comprising conductive (23) and non-conductive materials in addition to those associated with the cell structure, has overlapping portions of the cell and the unit such that the cell portion overlays an upwardly facing surface of a first portion of the additional conductive material of the unit and second portion of the additional conductive material extends outside terminal edge of the cell.    USE - As an article, e.g. solar cell electrical current collection grids, electrodes, electrical circuits, electrical traces, circuit boards, antennas, capacitors, induction heaters, connectors, switches, resistors, inductors, batteries, fuel cells, coils, signal lines, power lines, radiation reflectors, coolers, diodes, transistors, piezoelectric elements, photovoltaic cells, emi shields, biosensors and sensors.    ADVANTAGE - The article provides improved substrates to facilitate electrical interconnections among thin film cells; permits inexpensive production of high efficiency thin film photovoltaic cells while simultaneously permitting the use of polymer based substrate materials and associated processing to effectively interconnect those cells; improved processes whereby expansive area, interconnected photovoltaic arrays can be economically mass produced. The photovoltaic cells can be combined with the interconnecting substrate structures to achieve electrical interconnections while minimizing the need to use expensive and intricate material removal operations currently taught in the art to achieve series interconnections. The interconnecting substrate structures permit making electrical connections from the top of a cell to the bottom electrode of an adjacent cell from above without the requirement to remove material to expose a top surface of the bottom electrode. This advantage also eliminates the need to turn over strings of multiple cells during the interconnection process. Finally, the ability to make both these contacts from the top is more conducive to automated, high volume production of integrated arrays.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - An article combining a photovoltaic cell (10) and a unit of interconnection substrate designed to promote facile electrical and mechanical assembly of a multiple of the articles, where the photovoltaic cell having an upwardly facing top surface electrode comprising a transparent conductive material (23), the cell further comprising thin film semiconductor material supported on an upwardly facing surface of a metal based cell foil, where the metal based cell foil also forming a conductive bottom surface electrode (66) and being self supporting, aid unit of interconnection substrate having a sheet like form with a substantially planar upwardly facing surface and comprising conductive and non-conductive materials in addition to those associated with the cell structure the article characterized by having overlapping portions of the cell and the unit such that the cell portion overlays an upwardly facing surface of a first portion of the additional conductive material of the unit and a second portion of the additional conductive material extends outside a terminal edge of the cell and further that a portion of the additional non-conductive material forms an insulating barrier positioned between the first portion of the additional conductive material and the metal based cell foil.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The figure shows a sectional view of article.    Photovoltaic cell (10)    Substrate structure (22a)    Conductive material (23)    Non-conductive portion (25)    Conductive top surface (26)    Bottom surface (66)