Zinc oxide (ZnO) films with a very high haze ratio and low resistivity were developed on soda-lime glass substrate by using reactive ion etching (RIE) treatment with carbon tetrafluoride (CF4) to modify the substrate surface morphology before the deposition of ZnO films. We found that the surface morphology of the ZnO films deposited by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) technique could be modified by varying the glass treatment conditions and the gas pressure was a key parameter. With increasing glass-etching pressure, the surface morphology of the ZnO films changed from conventional pyramid-like single texture to greater cauliflower-like double texture, leading to significant increases in root mean square roughness and haze ratio of the films. By employing the developed high-haze ZnO films as a front transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer in microcrystalline silicon solar cells, an enhancement in the quantum efficiency in the long-wavelength region has been achieved. Experimental results have verified that our unique and original glass etching treatment is a simple and effective technique to improve the light-scattering properties of the ZnO films while preserving their good transparency and electrical properties. Thus, the ZnO films deposited on etched soda-lime glass have a high potential for the use as a front TCO layer in thin-film Si solar cells. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.