NOVELTY - The structure has a trench isolation pattern partitioning a semiconductor layer into a solar cell semiconductor region and a monolithically-integrated bypass switch (MIBS) semiconductor region on an electrically insulating contiguous backplane support sheet. A set of electrically conductive via plugs is formed through the support sheet interconnecting select portions of a patterned first-level metal layer to select portions of a patterned second-level metal layer. The patterned level metal layers and the plugs complete electrical metallization and interconnections of the structure.    USE - Structure for a monolithically integrated crystalline semiconductor solar cell e.g. back-contact solar cell and interdigitated back-contact solar cell, and a bypass switch e.g. full-periphery rim diode, PN junction diode and Schottky barrier diode (all claimed), for residential rooftop applications, Building-Integrated PhotoVoltaics (BIPV) applications in residential and commercial buildings, commercial rooftop applications, ground-mount utility-scale power plants applications, automotive applications, portable electronics applications and portable and transportable power generation applications. Can also be used for a transistor-based switch, non- interdigitated back-contact solar cell i.e. metallization-wrap-through (MWT) solar cell, front contact solar cell and a PV module.    ADVANTAGE - The electrically insulating contiguous backplane support sheet is permanently attached or laminated to a semiconductor substrate, thus providing support for a thin semiconductor substrate, enabling fabrication of bendable/flexible solar cells using a flexible backplane in conjunction with a thin semiconductor absorber, enabling fabrication of two-level solar cell metallization structures, and enabling formation of trench isolation regions in the semiconductor layer with the contiguous backplane serving as a reliable monolithic support layer, and hence enabling formation of on-cell metallization without busbars, eliminating electrical shading losses from the solar cell, and enabling formation of on-backplane metallization with relatively coarse metallization pitch and with the final solar cell busbars used for cell-to-cell interconnections in a photovoltaic (PV) module without increasing the solar cell manufacturing process complexity. The structure ensures distributed cellular shade management using one low-power-dissipation MIBS device per solar cell within the PV module, thus eliminating the need for external junction box bypass diodes and any discrete on-cell diode components and improving overall energy yield performance of the modules in PV installations. The structure for the solar cells in the module can be wired in any combination of series/parallel interconnection arrangements depending on module current and voltage requirements, thus simplifying module manufacturing process and reducing module Bill-of-Materials (BOM) cost while providing high power output performance and field reliability using the MIBS-based intelligent cellular shade impact suppression (ISIS) or shade management architecture and manufacturing methods, and hence eliminating thermal and mechanical stresses associated with mounting and soldering discrete bypass diode components on the solar cell.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - The electrically insulating contiguous backplane support sheet is a flexible prepreg sheet, flexible aramid fiber and resin prepreg sheet. The semiconductor layer is made of crystalline semiconductor material selected from a group consisting of silicon, germanium, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride and gallium phosphide.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The drawing shows a side view of a MIBS solar cell using a full-periphery closed loop rim MIBS bypass diode with a diode substrate separated and electrically isolated from a main solar cell substrate region by a trench isolation region.    MIBS bypass diodes (20)    Full-periphery laser-scribed isolation trench (22)    Solar cell island (24)