NOVELTY - Process-I of making a photovoltaic absorber on a substrate comprises: (a) providing a substrate coated with an electrical contact layer; (b) depositing an ink onto the contact layer of the substrate, where the ink comprises one or more metal compounds (I); (c) heating the initial layer; (d) depositing a polymeric precursor compound onto the substrate; and (e) heating the substrate.    USE - The process is useful for making a photovoltaic absorber on a substrate, where the substrate includes a semiconductor, a doped semiconductor, silicon, gallium arsenide, insulators, glass, molybdenum glass, silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, silicon nitride, a metal, a metal foil, molybdenum, aluminum, beryllium, cadmium, cerium, chromium, cobalt, copper, gallium, gold, lead, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, palladium, platinum, rhenium, rhodium, silver, stainless steel, steel, iron, strontium, tin, titanium, tungsten, zinc, zirconium, a metal alloy, a metal silicide, a metal carbide, a polymer, a plastic, a conductive polymer, a copolymer, a polymer blend, a polyethylene terephthalate, a polycarbonate, a polyester, a polyester film, a Mylar (RTM: Polyester film), a polyvinyl fluoride, polyvinylidene fluoride, a polyethylene, a polyetherimide, a polyethersulfone, a polyetherketone, a polyimide, a polyvinylchloride, an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene polymer, a silicone, an epoxy, paper, and/or coated paper (claimed).    ADVANTAGE - The method provides thin film photovoltaic absorber with improved sunlight conversion efficiency and without any voids, cracks, and other defects in the layers.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Process-I of making a photovoltaic absorber on a substrate comprises: (a) providing a substrate coated with an electrical contact layer; (b) depositing an ink onto the contact layer of the substrate, where the ink comprises one or more metal compounds having a structure of formula (MB1(E1R)3) (I); (c) heating the initial layer; (d) depositing a polymeric precursor compound onto the substrate; and (e) heating the substrate.    MB1 = In, Ga or Al;    E1 = S or Se; and    R = alkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, alkenyl, amido, or silyl, preferably n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl and/or n-pentyl.    INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for:    (1) a photovoltaic absorber made by the process-I; and    (2) a process-II of depositing an ink on a substrate, comprising the steps (a), (b) and (e) as above per se.