Patent ID: 8092667

Claim:
A method of electrodepositing a thin and continuous Group IIIA material rich thin film over a surface of a base for manufacturing solar cell precursors, the method comprising: forming a first layer on the surface of the base, wherein the first layer includes at least one of Cu and Ga; after forming the first layer, electrodepositing an interlayer on a surface of the first layer, wherein the interlayer comprises a predetermined molar percent of at least one of In and Ga and at least 10 molar percent of an additive material including one of Cu, Se, Te, Ag and S, wherein the predetermined molar percent of the at least one of In and Ga is in the range of 20-90 percent, wherein the interlayer is a conditioned conductive layer that assists in forming the thin and continuous Group IIIA material rich film that is subsequently deposited and provides effective nucleation sites for the thin and continuous Group IIIA material rich film that is subsequently deposited; and electrodepositing the thin and continuous Group IIIA material rich thin film on the interlayer to a predetermined thickness, wherein the thin and continuous Group IIIA material rich thin film is one of a substantially pure In film, a substantially pure Ga film and a substantially pure In—Ga alloy, wherein the predetermined thickness of the thin and continuous Group IIIA material rich thin film is less than 700 nm, and wherein the thickness of the interlayer is less than or equal to 20% of the predetermined thickness.