The present application discloses a method and system of depositing a lead selenide film onto another material. The lead selenide film may used in a photoconductive application or a photovoltaic application. Furthermore, the applications may be responsive to infrared radiation at ambient temperature. In one embodiment, a method includes sputtering the lead selenide film, performing a sensitization process, and applying a passivation film. In one exemplary embodiment, a p-n junction is formed by directly adhering a lead selenide film to a silicon substrate.