NOVELTY - A thin-film is formed by formulating a precursor material comprising particles of a first material and particles containing element(s) from group IB, IIIA, VIA element, and/or their alloys. The first material comprises solid compound of a group IIIA-based material and a second material comprising group(s) IA-based material that is included so that no liquid phase of the compound is present within the first material from room temperature to a higher deposition or pre-deposition temperature, preferably 20-200degreesC. The group IIIA-based material is liquid in the temperature range.    USE - For forming thin-film, particularly a semiconductor film (458) as an absorber layer in a photovoltaic device or an absorber layer for a solar cell.    ADVANTAGE - The method provides a more efficient and simplified creation of a dispersion. Solid particles may allow for the use of known processing techniques for size reduction and/or shape alteration on the group IIIA-based material prior to dispersing the material in a carrier liquid, thus simplifying processing and increasing process robustness.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is included for a composition comprising a precursor material containing solid particles of a first material of an alloy of a group IIIA-based material and at least one group IA-based material, and particles containing element(s) from group IB, IIIA, VIA element, and/or their alloys. The compound has a higher melting temperature than a melting temperature of the IIIA-based material in elemental form. The second material comprises sodium or sodium fluoride. It contains sodium, potassium, lithium, rubidium, cesium, and/or their alloys. The second material comprises an elemental material, a binary alloy, a solid solution, or a multinary alloy. The group IIIA-based material of the first material is indium or gallium. The solid compound comprises a binary alloy or multinary alloy. It includes gallium-sodium based alloy, Ga4Na, or Ga39Na22. The solid compound contains at least 0.6 (preferably greater than or equal to11) wt.% sodium. It comprises indium-sodium based alloy, preferably In8Na5. The solid compound contains group IB element. The precursor material contains particles comprising copper-based particles, copper-based alloy particles, copper-IIIA based alloy particles, or copper-VIA based alloy particles. The particles are nanoparticles, spherical nanoparticles, or non-spherical, planar flakes. An ink including the precursor material is deposited on a substrate to form a precursor layer on a substrate. The precursor layer is reacted in an atmosphere (containing selenium, sulfur, tellurium, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, hydrogen selenide, hydrogen sulfide, argon, and/or nitrogen) to form a group IB-IIIA based film. The film includes a group IB-IIIA-VIA compound. The film comprises a semiconductor film as an absorber layer (456) in a photovoltaic device or an absorber layer for a solar cell. A mixture of elemental or alloy particles containing at least one element from aluminum, tellurium, or sulfur is added. Classes of the particles are doped with inorganic material(s) from aluminum or sulfur; or sodium, potassium, or lithium. The solid compound containing particles are a sole source of group IIIA elements in the ink. The film has copper/(indium+gallium) compositional range of 0.01-1 or greater than 1 and gallium/(indium+gallium) compositional range of 0.01-1 or 0.1-0.8. The second material comprises nitrogen oxide (NO3). The alloy includes gallium fluoride or gallium nitrate. It includes a group IIIA-based salt or an organo-gallium compound. The precursor material is heated to for a layer without carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, or fluorine elements in the layer. The second material includes aluminum or aluminum compounds, or sulfur or sulfur compounds. Sodium emulsion or dispersion is combined with solid gallium particles or gallium dispersion by mechanical alloying at temperatures below the melting point of gallium to form solid gallium-sodium particles. A bandgap grading material of the alloy is deposited after the precursor material. It melts above 450degreesC or above 550degreesC. The precursor material forms a copper-indium-gallium-selenium based alloy when sintered at first temperature profile and combines with the alloy to form a copper-indium-gallium-selenium based alloy with heating through second temperature profile.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The figure is a cross-sectional view of a photovoltaic device.    Base substrate (452)    Adhesion layer (453)    Base or back electrode (454)    Absorber layer (456)    Semiconductor film (458)