Photovoltaic Devices with Textured TCO Layers, and Methods of Making TCO Stacks

A method for manufacturing an improved thin film transparent conductive oxide layer for use with an associated absorber layer, the method comprising:

• sputtering onto a substrate one or more transparent metal oxide layers under conditions selected to produce a sputtered transparent conductive oxide layer having at least one interface having an average roughness when annealed of 5 to 60 nm, said sputtering conditions being selected from (i) supplementing an inert sputtering or annealing environment with oxygen or hydrogen, (ii) increasing the substrate temperature to a range from about 25 to about 400° C., and (iii) increasing a magnetic field strength associated with the sputtering process to a range from about 20 mT to about 100 mT;
• whereby, upon exposure to incident light, the roughness of the at least one interface of the transparent conductive oxide layer reduces reflection and increases light scattering transmission into the associated absorber layer.

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23-41. (canceled)