An alternative approach is described for the fabrication of a polycrystalline silicon thin-film solar cell on inexpensive substrates. In a first step amorphous silicon is recrystallized in an aluminum-induced crystallization process forming a large-grained polycrystalline silicon layer on glass or metal substrates. In a second step this layer is used as a template for epitaxial growth of the absorber layer (2-3 mum thick) at T < 600 degreesC using ion-assisted deposition techniques. The third step consists of the formation of an a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunction by depositing an a-Si:H emitter from the gas phase. It will be shown that each of these steps has been successfully developed and can now be implemented in a solar cell process. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.