TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - CERAMICS AND GLASS - Preferred Components: The substrate comprises glass, a metal, a metal alloy and/or a polymer.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The semiconductor is I-III-VI (gold, silver, copper)(indium, gallium, aluminum)(oxygen, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, polonium) semiconductor. The semiconductor absorber layer is formed using solutions of copper halide, indium halide, gallium halides, and selenohalides or selenourea, in which the solution comprises an acetonitrile solvent. The semiconductor layer is a CIS, CIGS, CIGSS or CGS semiconductor.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INSTRUMENTATION AND TESTING - Preferred Method: The first reactant and the chalcogen precursor compound are provided in the same/different solutions. The method further comprises: flowing the metal precursor compound and the chalcogen precursor compound to a micromixer to form the solution, and applying the solution to the substrate using a microchannel applicator; and exposing the deposited material or the semiconductor to an annealing gas. Thermally annealing is performed in a vacuum or under an inert atmosphere. The first metal contact is a molybdenum contact. The method of making a photovoltaic further comprises: forming an antireflective coating on the second metal contact layer; encapsulating at least a portion of the photovoltaic in an encapsulant; exposing the deposited material or the semiconductor material to an annealing gas; flowing a metal precursor compound and a chalcogen precursor compound to a micromixer to form the semiconductor absorber precursor solution; and applying the semiconductor absorber precursor solution to the substrate using a microchannel applicator. The depositing step comprises inkjet printing, spin coating, gravure, micro-pen, nano-fountain pen, dip-pen, screen printing, spray coating, slide coating, slot coating, curtain coating and/or dip coating. The forming the semiconductor layer comprises thermally annealing the deposited material layer under vacuum or an inert atmosphere at a temperature of 400-600 degrees C.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The first reactant is a metal precursor compound including a metal halide. The metal precursor solution comprises molybdenum hexacarbonyl. The chalcogen precursor compound is of formula (RR1N-C(=A)NR2R3), preferably selenourea, tellurourea and thiourea. The chalcogen precursor compound is of formulae (R-(Ch-1)-(Ch-2)-R1), (R-(O,S,Se and/or Te)-R1), (R-S-S-R1), (R-Se-Se-R1), (R-Te-Te-R1), and (R-Ch-R1), preferably dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, diethyl sulfide, diethyl disulfide, diphenyl sulfide, diphenyl disulfide, dimethyl selenide, dimethyl diselenide, diethyl selenide, diethyl diselenide, diphenyl selenide, diphenyl diselenide, diphenyl selenium dichloride, dimethyl telluride, dimethyl ditelluride, diethyl telluride, diethyl ditelluride, diphenyl telluride, diphenyl ditelluride, diphenyltellerium dichloride, phenol, thiophenol, phenylseleno and/or the tellurium analog.A = a chalcogen;Ch, Ch-1, Ch-2 = S, Se or Te; andR-R3 = aliphatic, cyclic, heterocyclic, aryl, heteroaryl (all optionally substituted), arylalkyl or H, preferably H, ethyl, methyl and phenyl.