A method for manufacturing a photo-responsive device having a photo-sensitive layer is proposed. The method comprises the following steps: a) providing a clean substrate inside an evacuated evaporation chamber; b) evaporating lead oxide (PbO) from a first crucible to form a seeding layer on the surface of the substrate; c) affecting upon the seeding layer such that only tetragonal lead oxide forms the seeding layer and/or such that the initially grown orthorhombic lead oxide forming the seeding layer is transformed into tetragonal lead oxide; and d) continuing to evaporate lead oxide until the final thickness of the photo-sensitive layer has been deposited onto the substrate. As a result the method yields a photo-responsive device comprising a photo-sensitive layer of lead oxide, which entirely consists of tetragonal lead oxide.