NOVELTY - The device has an electrode layer (200) over a substrate (100). A resistive p-type semiconductor layer (500) is placed over the electrode layer. A p-type absorber layer (301) is placed over the resistive p-type semiconductor layer. An n-type semiconductor layer (302) is placed over the p-type absorber layer. Another electrode layer (400) is placed over the n-type semiconductor layer, where resistivity of the resistive p-type semiconductor layer is greater than resistivity of the p-type absorber layer.    USE - Photovoltaic device i.e. thin film solar cell device.    ADVANTAGE - The device ensures that a resistive transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer is provided for a top electrode of the device, so that negative effects of spatial inhomogenous diode systems can be reduced, thus improving efficiency of the device. The device ensures that biasing can be avoided by sputter cleaning with linear ion guns, and the cleaning can be accomplished in a separate smaller machine prior to loading into a large roll coater, thus performing a corona glow discharge treatment without introducing an electrical bias.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - The substrate is metal such as aluminum and stainless steel, a glass and a polymer film. The resistive p-type semiconductor layer comprises a p-type semiconductor selected from a group of silicon (Si) semiconductor, copper sulfide (CuS) semiconductor, zinc selenide (ZnSe) semiconductor, cadmium selenide (CdSe) semiconductor, gallium arsenide (GaAs) semiconductor and gallium phosphide (GaP) semiconductor. INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are also included for the following:    (1) a method for making a photovoltaic device    (2) a method for operating a photovoltaic device.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The drawing shows a schematic view of a copper indium selenide (CIS) based solar cell.    Substrate (100)    Electrode layers (200, 400)    P-type absorber layer (301)    N-type semiconductor layer (302)    Resistive P-type semiconductor layer (500)