In this paper, we used UV micro-imprint lithography periodic patterning combined with self-textured BZO films with a wide range of texture distributions for light trapping in thin-film silicon solar cells. It was found that the feature size of the periodic textures has a significant influence on the light trapping capacity of the glass substrate and the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of microcrystalline silicon (mu c-Si:H) solar cells. Microcrystalline silicon solar cells, deposited on periodic textures of 5 pm, showed an improved photocurrent density without any loss in the open-circuit voltage and fill factor; hence, resulting in an overall efficiency increase of 6.28%. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.