TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - METALLURGY - Preferred Component: The semiconductive film contains a single metal consisting of cadmium, indium, zinc, copper, or titanium. The metal oxide film is cadmium oxide; and the semiconductive film is from cadmium sulfide, cadmium selenide, cadmium telluride, or their mixtures. The metal oxide film is zinc oxide; and the semiconductive film is from zinc sulfide, zinc selenide, zinc tellenide, or their mixtures. The semiconductive film is a dye-sensitized titanium oxide film. It is from zinc cadmium sulfide, zinc cadmium selenide, zinc cadmium telluride, or their mixtures; copper indium sulfide, copper indium selenide, copper indium telluride, or their mixtures; cadmium indium sulfide, cadmium indium selenide, cadmium indium telluride, or their mixtures; copper gallium sulfide, copper gallium selenide, copper gallium telluride, or their mixtures; copper gallium indium selenide. The metal oxide film is a mixed metal oxide consisting of zinc and cadmium, copper and indium, copper and gallium, cadmium and indium, or copper, gallium, and indium.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Component: The solution is an aqueous solution having a pH of 4-7. Preferred Material: The soluble polymer is from polyethylene glycol, poly(acrylic acid), poly(diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride), polyethylenimine, or poly(vinyl alcohol). Preferred Process: Treating includes drying at temperatures to remove the polymer, but to form the coherent composite film. EXAMPLE - An aqueous cadmium salt solution was prepared by dissolving (30 wt.% cadmium salt) of cadmium nitrate tetrahydrate in water. The cadmium salt solution was mixed with 10 wt.% aqueous poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solution at a cadmium salt:PVA weight ratio of 2:1, to yield a transparent metal-salt polymer solution. The solution had a pH between 6-7. The resulting solution was used to spin coat thin films onto glass substrates with a spinning speed of 3000 revolutions/minute. The substrates coated with metal salt-polymer films were then heated at 550degreesC, for 90 minutes under an oxygen atmosphere to yield cadmium oxide films. The color of the cadmium oxide films was orange; and the films were conductive. Aluminum selenide (Al2Se3) (10 mg), was placed into a container with a cadmium oxide coated substrate. After sealing the container with a rubber stopper, water (1 ml) was injected into the container. Hydrogen selenide gas (H2Se) was generated by the reaction of the water with the Al2Se3. After 1 hour, cadmium selenide film had formed.