NOVELTY - A sputter target for use in a reactive sputtering process for depositing a layer on a substrate, comprises a ceramic target comprising a first metal element (Me1) of the periodic table, and a sub-stoichiometric quantity of oxygen.    USE - The sputter target is for use in a reactive sputtering process for depositing a layer, particularly transparent conductive oxide layer, on a substrate, useful in manufacturing a thin layer solar cell, particularly solar cell module (claimed). It is useful for oxidic sputter processes.    ADVANTAGE - Amount/rate of oxygen deposited in the coating film is controlled while high sputter rate, low oxygen bombardment of the deposited film, and a stable coating process are maintained. The sputter process is stabilized due to the fact that ceramic targets contain a particular amount of oxygen, i.e. there is an intrinsic amount of oxygen, which prevents the targets from changing their characteristics within a small variation of the reactive oxygen flow in the process chamber. The flow/amount of oxygen provided during the process may be varied. This allows varying the deposition rate, particularly to increase the deposition rate, while decreasing the bombardment of the coating film with oxygen ions. The stoichiometry between zinc and oxygen in the deposited film may be adjusted to a predetermined value. By using the target oxidic layers, e.g. transparent conductive oxide layers are deposited in an improved process. Due to the fact that bombardment of the coating film with oxygen ions is reduced during the deposition process, the quality of n-conductive ZnO:Me2 layer of thin layer solar cell is improved. When using the sputter target for manufacturing thin layer solar cell, the process of etching is improved. The bombardment of n-conductive layer with oxygen ions during the deposition process is controlled to be sufficiently low. The solar cells have an increased efficiency compared with cells produced with conventional manufacturing methods. The stoichiometry of the layer can be varied quite easily and in a large range compared with conventional processes due to the fact that the content of oxygen in the reactive atmosphere originating from the target is lower than in the case of a stoichiometric target; and the oxygen content in the reactive atmosphere may be controlled to set the oxygen content in the layer between a sub-stoichiometric value and a stoichiometric value. The target has characteristics of ceramic target for providing stable process at a predetermined ratio of oxygen in a process chamber, and characteristics of metallic target for providing a defined sputter rate.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for:    (1) a method of manufacturing a layer on a substrate, particularly transparent conductive oxide layer, comprising providing a sputter target in a process chamber; providing an atmosphere including a ratio of oxygen in the process chamber; sputtering coating material from the sputter target; and depositing the layer on the substrate in a reactive sputtering process; and    (2) a method of manufacturing a thin layer solar cell comprising depositing a layer on a substrate.