We have fabricated thin-film solar cells using polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) films formed by flash lamp annealing (FLA) of 4.5-mu m-thick amorphous Si (a-Si) films deposited on Cr-coated glass substrates. High-pressure water-vapor annealing (HPWVA) is effective to improve the minority carrier lifetime of poly-Si films up to 10 mu s long. Diode and solar cell characteristics can be seen only in the solar cells formed using poly-Si films after HPWVA, indicating the need for defect termination. The actual solar cell operation demonstrated indicates feasibility of using poly-Si films formed through FLA on glass substrates as a thin-film solar cell material. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.