NOVELTY - Making a photovoltaic cell comprises providing a superstrate layer comprising a polymer material; depositing a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer onto the superstrate layer; depositing a semiconductor junction having at least an n-type layer and at least a p-type layer onto the TCO layer; and exposing the semiconductor junction to a cadmium chloride (CdCl2) treatment.    USE - The method is useful for making a photovoltaic cell (claimed).    ADVANTAGE - The present invention provides polymer for use as a substrate medium to support photovoltaic cell components, and provides an improved photovoltaic cell that can be efficiently and economically produced.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Making a photovoltaic cell comprises providing a superstrate layer comprising a polymer material having a first light transmission characteristic, as measured in light transparency; depositing a TCO layer having a first sheet resistance characteristic, as measured in ohms, onto the superstrate layer; depositing a semiconductor junction having at least an n-type layer and at least a p-type layer onto the TCO layer under process conditions that avoid substantial degradation of the TCO layer; and exposing the semiconductor junction to a CdCl2 treatment sufficient to (i) cause the superstrate layer to take on a second light transmission characteristic, and (ii) cause the TCO layer to take on a second sheet resistance characteristic; the at least one of the second light transmission characteristic and the second sheet resistance characteristic permitting a photovoltaic cell efficiency of at least 9%; and applying a back electrode coating layer. An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is a photovoltaic cell comprising layers where one of the layers is a polyimide film layer subjected to any of the processing steps above; or a photovoltaic cell having a polyimide front window, a TCO/highly resistive transparent (HRT) bilayer, a p-type layer, an n-type layer, and a back contact formed by any of the steps above.