Pulsed laser deposition of transparent conductive oxide thin films on flexible substrates

► TCO thin films were grown by PLD on PET substrate at low temperature. ► We found that the quality of TCO on PET substrate depends on the target-substrate distance. ► TCO with high transparency (>95%) and reduced electrical resistivity (∼5 × 10−4 Ω cm) were obtained. ► Optimized TCO films deposited on PET were free of any cracks.