TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The heterojunction partner layer comprises zinc selenide, cadmium sulfide, cadmium zinc selenide, cadmium selenide, zinc sulfide, cadmium oxide, zinc oxide, zinc magnesium oxide, tin oxide or cadmium zinc sulfide. The photovoltaic cell further comprises buffer layer between transparent conductor layer and heterojunction partner layer. The buffer layer comprises undoped zinc oxide, zinc magnesium oxide or tin oxide. The electrical contact layer is back contact layer (204) including molybdenum, and contains layer of doped zinc telluride and layer of material including metal or transparent conducting oxides. The photovoltaic cell further comprises another heterojunction partner layer, IB-IIIB-VIB2 semiconductor layer, and another back contact layer. The IB-IIIB-VIB2 semiconductor layer comprises copper-indium-diselenide layer; and group of materials of formula Cu(In, Ga, Al) (S, Se)2. The substrate (202) comprises polymer, reinforced polymer, polyimide, metal foil, insulated metal foil or glass. The hybrid multi-junction photovoltaic cell has polymer substrate including polyimide is provided in cell as photovoltaic cell mechanical support; and bottom solar absorber layer (206) comprising copper indium diselenide, copper indium ditelluride, hydrogenated amorphous silicon germanium, alloy of copper indium diselenide and gallium, aluminum, tellurium and/or sulfur, alloy of formula (Cd, Zn, Mg, Mn)Te, and cadmium selenide. The heterojunction partner layer comprises high resistivity material layer(s) of formula (Zn and/or Mg)(S, Se, O, and/or OH). The p-type semiconductor layer comprises hydrogenated amorphous silicon, hydrogenated amorphous silicon-germanium, hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide, nanocrystalline silicon or microcrystalline silicon. The solution used in coating cadmium selenide layer comprises solvent, copper chloride, cadmium chloride and gallium chloride. Preferred Method: The evaporation of selenium from cadmium selenide layer is prevented by heating cadmium selenide layer in selenium enriched atmosphere or physically impeding flow of selenium vapor from cadmium selenide layer. The method further comprises depositing heterojunction partner layer and depositing transparent conductor layer. The heterojunction partner layer is formed by chemical vapor deposition process, wet chemical bath deposition process, or low energy sputtering process. The solar absorber layer is formed by selenization process, sulfurization process, tellurization process, thermal evaporation process, electron beam evaporation process, sputtering process, electrodeposition process, molecular beam epitaxy process, and/or chemical vapor deposition process.