NOVELTY - Manufacturing a semiconductor comprises: providing at least a first reactant and a chalcogen precursor compound in solution (610), where the chalcogen precursor compound is chalcogen powder, a chalcogen halide, a chalcogen oxide, a chalcogen urea, a chalcogen and/or dichalcogen comprising organic ligands; depositing the first reactant and the chalcogen precursor compound on a substrate (612); evaporating solvent (616) to form a deposited material on the substrate; and thermally annealing the deposited material to form a semiconductor.    USE - The methods are useful for manufacturing a semiconductor, photovoltaics, solar cells (all claimed), an insulator, conductor, a photoluminescent device; electronic devices, or components of electronic devices including transistors, circuits, capacitors, photodetectors, such as a UV detector, gas sensors, batteries, X-ray imagers, light emitting diodes, solid electrolytes and computer readable media; and particular products, such as electronic devices including transistors, flexible transistors, flexible solar cells, light emitting diodes, flexible LED, detectors, flexible detectors, sensors, flexible sensors, switches and flexible switches.    ADVANTAGE - The methods have low manufacturing costs, and large area depositions, and provide high efficiency, and precludes having to use multiple lithography steps and/or processes.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for:    (1) making a photovoltaic, comprising depositing a metal precursor solution onto a substrate, forming a first metal contact layer, depositing a semiconductor absorber precursor solution on the metal layer, in which the semiconductor absorber precursor solution comprises a first precursor reactant and at least a second precursor reactant in appropriate stoichiometric ratios for forming a semiconductor absorber layer, forming the semiconductor absorber layer, forming a buffer layer on the semiconductor layer, depositing a transparent conductive metal oxide precursor solution on the buffer layer, forming the transparent conductive metal oxide layer and forming a second metal contact layer on the metal oxide layer; and    (2) making a solar cell, comprising depositing a molybdenum precursor solution onto a glass substrate and forming a molybdenum metal contact layer, depositing a copper-indium-selenide (CIS), copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS), copper-indium-gallium-diselenide (CIGSS) or copper-gallium-selenide (CGS) semiconductor absorber precursor solution on the molybdenum metal layer, in which the semiconductor absorber precursor solution comprises at least a first metal precursor reactant and at least a second chalcogen precursor compound comprising a chalcogen powder, a chalcogen halide, a chalcogen oxide, a chalcogen urea, a chalcogen and/or dichalcogen comprising organic ligands, in appropriate stoichiometric ratios for forming a semiconductor absorber layer for the solar cell, thermally annealing CIS, CIGS, CIGSS or CGS semiconductor absorber precursor material under vacuum or an inert atmosphere to form the semiconductor absorber layer, forming a buffer layer on the semiconductor layer, depositing a transparent conductive metal oxide precursor solution on the buffer layer, forming the metal oxide layer, depositing a solution comprising an antireflective coating precursor material on the metal oxide layer and forming the antireflective coating.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The figure shows a schematic representation of the method of manufacturing the semiconductor.    Solution comprising the first compound (610)    Substrate (612)    Liquid film (614)    Solvent (616)    Thin film. (618)