Patent ID: 7026258

Claim:
A method of fabricating I-III-VI 2 semiconductor alloys in thin films for photovoltaic applications, wherein: a) a thin film of a precursor with a slightly excess composition of VI element compared with a final desired alloy composition is deposited on a substrate, the constituent elements of the precursor being intimately mixed so as to give the precursor a structure having nanometric alloy grains joined by phases which are richer in VI element, and b) rapid annealing of the layer obtained in step a) is carried out using an electromagnetic radiation source, with an electromagnetic power greater than or of the order of a few W/cm 2 , which is sufficient to activate the VI element and make all of said alloy grains react so as to improve the crystallization of said layer, and for durations less than or of the order of tens of seconds, which are sufficiently short to obtain substantially said desired composition in the layer and give said layer photovoltaic properties.