Method for rapidly forming photoconductive layers for integrated circuits

A method of making a photoconductive layer for a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:

• A. mixing at least one powder of a photoconductive material selected from the group consisting of zinc sulfide (ZnS), cadmium sulfide (CdS), cadmium selenide (CdSe), and cadium telluride (CdTe), with a copper halide powder, where the copper halide powder is between about 0.1 and 5.0% by weight of the total mixture;
• B. forming at least one cohesive pellet from the powdered mixture;
• C. disposing at least one said pellet of said powdered mixture along with a semiconductor substrate prepared for vapor deposition thereon in spaced relationship in a partial vacuum;
• D. evaporating material from said pellet to form a vapor and depositing said vapor on the semiconductor substrate at a rate greater than about 10 nanometers per minute to form a photoconductive layer on the semiconductor substrate, said photoconductive layer comprising at least one composition selected from the group consisting of zinc sulfide (ZnS), cadmium sulfide (CdS), cadmium selenide (CdSe), cadmium telluride (CdTe), zinc sulfide selenide (ZnS.sub.x Se.sub.1-x), cadmium sulfide selenide (CdS.sub.x Se.sub.1-x), and cadmium sulfide telluride (CdS.sub.x Te.sub.1-x) wherein x is greater than zero and less than one;
• and
• E. baking the photoconductive layer and substrate in an oxygen-rich atmosphere at a temperature between 300.degree. and 550.degree. C for about 1 to 2 minutes.