NOVELTY - High-throughput printing of semiconductor precursor layer from microflake particles to form a dense film, involves formulating an ink of particles, where greater than or equal to 50% of all the particles are microflakes, each containing at least one element from group IB, IIIA and/or VIA and having a non-spherical, planar shape, and overall amounts of elements contained in the ink are such that the ink has a desired stoichiometric ratio of the elements; and coating a substrate (102) with the ink to form a precursor layer.    USE - For high-throughput printing of semiconductor precursor layer from microflake particles to form a dense film useful in the formation of a semiconductor absorber for a photovoltaic device and solar cell (claimed) for converting sunlight into electricity.    ADVANTAGE - The method provides more efficient and simplified creation of a dispersion, and resulting coating. The method uses non-spherical particles in the formation of high quality precursor layers which are processed into dense films. The method provides a good coating, in case where dispersions are large microflake particles that can require continuous agitations to stay suspended. The planar shape of microflakes creates greater surface area contact between adjacent microflakes relative to adjacent spherical nanoparticles and thus promotes increased atomic intermixing as compared to a film made from a precursor layer made from an ink of the present invention. The planar shape of the microflakes creates a higher packing density in the dense film as compared to a film made from a precursor layer made from an ink of spherical nanoparticles. The planar shape of the microflakes creates a packing density of at least 70 (preferably at least 95)% in the precursor layer; results in grain size of at least 1 micron in the semiconductor absorber of a photovoltaic device; and provides a material property to avoid rapid/preferential settling of the particles, when forming the precursor layer. The planar shape of microflakes provides a material property to avoid grouping of microflake in the ink, and thus enables the an evenly dispersed solution of microflake. The microflakes have a material property that reduces surface tension at interface between microflakes in the ink and a carrier fluid to improve dispersion quality.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - High-throughput printing of semiconductor precursor layer from microflake particles to form a dense film, involves formulating an ink of particles, where greater than or equal to 50% of all the particles are microflakes, each containing at least one element from group IB, IIIA and/or VIA and having a non-spherical, planar shape, and overall amounts of elements contained in the ink are such that the ink has a desired stoichiometric ratio of the elements; coating a substrate (102) with the ink to form a precursor layer; and processing the precursor layer to form a dense film. At least one set of the particles in the ink are inter-metallic microflake particles containing at least one group IB-IIIA inter-metallic alloy phase. The particles comprise of microflakes and nanoflakes. The planar shape of the microflakes results in grain sizes of at least 2 (preferably 0.5) mu m in at least one dimension in the semiconductor absorber of a photovoltaic device. Each microflake has a length of 5-0.5 (preferably 3-0.5) microns, a thickness of less than 100 (preferably less than 20) nm, an aspect ratio of greater than or equal to 10 (preferably greater than or equal to 15). The microflakes are oxygen-free. An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is included for a solar cell comprising a substrate; a back electrode formed over the substrate; a p-type semiconductor thin film formed over the back electrode; an n-type semiconductor thin film formed to constitute a pn junction with the p-type semiconductor thin film; and a transparent electrode formed over the n-type semiconductor thin film, where p-type semiconductor thin film results by processing a dense film formed from microflakes having a material composition containing at least one element from Groups IB, IIIA, and/or VIA, where the dense film has a void volume of less than or equal to 26%.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The figure shows a schematic cross-sectional view of fabrication of the film.    Substrate (102)    Diffusion barrier layer (103, 105)    Contact layer. (104)