Valence-band and conduction-band densities of states (DOSs) of Bi2Y3 (Y=S, Se, Te) semiconductors have been investigated by means of ultraviolet photoemission (UPS) and inverse-photoemission spectroscopy (IPES). With the aid of calculated partial density of states for Bi2Te3 and the UPS and IPES spectra for Bi2Te2Se crystals grown by substituting Te(2) atoms in Bi2Te3 with Se atoms, we assign the partial DOSs for Bi2Te3 and Bi2Se3. Furthermore, it is found that Bi2S3 has the largest band gap (1.1 eV) among these three Bi2Y3 compounds. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.