The crystallization of thin silicon films at temperatures between 425 and 600 °C was investigated on glass substrates coated with Al-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al). Bare ZnO:Al layers degrade at the crystallization temperatures used. A silicon layer on top, however, efficiently prevents deterioration. The resistivity was even found to drop from 4.3× 10-4 cm for the as deposited ZnO:Al to 2.2× 10-4 cm in the case of aluminium induced crystallization and to 3.4× 10-4 cm for solid phase crystallization. The temperature-stable conductivity of ZnO:Al films coated with Si opens up appealing options for the production of polycrystalline silicon thin-film solar cells with transparent front contacts. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.