ZnTe thin films have been prepared on Mo-coated stainless steel substrates by the close spaced sublimation (CSS) technique. Cu-doped ZnTe ( ZnTe:Cu) films are prepared by immersing the as-deposited samples in a CuCl-H2O solution. The structural and morphological properties of the ZnTe films as a function of substrate temperature are investigated using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. CdS/CdTe solar cells with and without the ZnTe and ZnTe: Cu interlayers are prepared and characterized with current-voltage (J-V), spectral response, and capacitance-voltage measurements. The structural and morphological properties of the ZnTe films prepared by CSS are found to be strongly influenced by the substrate temperature. The 'rollover' behavior in the J-V characteristics of the CdS/CdTe solar cells due to a Schottky barrier at the back contact can be eliminated using ZnTe as the interlayer. Preliminary results on the application of ZnTe: Cu films suggest that the open circuit voltage and fill factor can be further improved, depending on processing conditions. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.