A method of coating a substrate with a TCO layer, and thin film solar cell

The invention relates to a process for coating a substrate with a TCO layer, wherein for the preparation of such a layer, which is adapted to produce a nanoscale surface structure means has been executed after the deposition etching sequentially on the substrate by physical vapor deposition first of a barrier layer to impede a material effect on the TCO layer, which can be done by diffusion of material from the substrate toward the TCO layer, an intermediate layer for adjusting a defined layer growth of a subsequent TCO layer, and finally, the TCO layer can be deposited below. The invention also relates to a thin film solar cell comprising a layer system.