TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The ratio of the molar concentration of Group VA elements to the sum of molar concentrations of Group IB and Group IIIA elements (VA divide by (IB+IIIA)) is up to 0.05. The another material includes the Group IB material and the Group IIIA material, and the step of electrodepositing deposits Group VAIBIIIA thin film on the conductive surface. The another material further includes Group VIA material, and the step of electrodepositing deposits a Group VAIBIIIAVIA thin film on the conductive surface. The Group VA material includes Sb, and/or Bi (preferably Sb). Preferred Composition: The solution further comprises a Group VIA material including Se, Te and S dissolved in the solvent, so that the solution is for electroplating a Group VAIBIIIAVIA thin film on the conductive surface. The solvent is water. The Group IB material is obtained from a Group IB material source comprising at least one of dissolved copper metal and dissolved copper salts. The Group IIIA material is obtained from a Group IIIA material source comprising at least one of dissolved indium and gallium metals and dissolved indium and gallium salts. The Group VA material includes Sb, Bi, and As. The Group VA material is obtained from a Group VA material source comprising at least one of dissolved bismuth, antimony, and arsenic and dissolved bismuth salts, antimony salts, and dissolved arsenic salts. The Group VIA material is obtained from a Group VIA material source comprising at least one of dissolved elemental selenium, tellurium and sulfur, acids of selenium, tellurium and sulfur, and dissolved selenium, tellurium and sulfur compounds. Preferred Components: The copper salts include copper chloride, copper sulfate, copper nitrate, copper phosphate, and copper oxide. The indium salts include indium chloride, indium sulfate, indium carbonate, indium nitrate, indium phosphate, indium oxide, indium perchlorate, indium sulfamate and indium hydroxide. The gallium salts include gallium chloride, gallium sulfate, gallium carbonate, gallium nitrate, gallium perchlorate, gallium phosphate, gallium oxide, gallium sulfamate and gallium hydroxide. The bismuth salts include bismuth oxide, and bismuth chloride. The antimony salts include antimony hydroxide, antimony oxide, antimony sulfide, antimony fluoride, antimony iodide, antimony bromide, and antimony chloride. The arsenic salts include arsenic fluoride, arsenic bromide, arsenic iodide, arsenic oxide, and arsenic sulfide. The selenium, tellurium and sulfur compounds include oxides, chlorides, sulfates, sulfides, nitrates, perchlorides and phosphates of selenium, tellurium and sulfur.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: Each of the first, second and third complexing agents comprises at least one of a carboxylate functional group and an amine functional group (preferably at least one of the first, second and third complexing agents comprises at least one of an acid and an alkali metal salt of the acid, where the acid is tartaric acid, citric acid, acetic acid, malonic acid, malic acid, succinic acid, gluconic acid, EDTA, nitrilotriacetic acid, or hydroxyethylethylenediaminetriacetic acid). The copper salt is copper acetate. The indium salt is indium acetate. The gallium salt is gallium acetate. The bismuth salt is bismuth citrate, or bismuth acetate. EXAMPLE - A bismuth containing solution was prepared with 0.5 M sodium gluconate and 0.1 M bismuth triacetate. The pH was adjusted to 13 with sodium hydroxide. Bismuth was plated on electroplated copper layer at 3 mA/cm%2 to achieve bismuth film thickness of 2-20 nm. A Cu-In layer was plated on top of bismuth film to form a Cu-In-Bi alloy. The rest of the copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) precursor was deposited on top of this alloyed material. The pre-formed alloy prevented indium from freely diffusing through thick precursor layer. When same precursor was prepared without the bismuth layer, crystallized indium fingers were detected breaking through surface of precursor by using scanning electron microscope.