ABSTRACTThe advantages of pulsed excimer lasers for semiconductor processing are reviewed. Studies of XeCl excimer laser annealing with pulses of 25 and 70 nsec duration and energy densities in the range from 0.5–3.0 J/cm2 are discussed. The annealing characteristics are described in terms of the results of melt depth, dopant profile spreading, and electrical properties (sheet resistivity, diode characteristics) measurements. Solar cells with efficiencies as high as 16.7% AMI have been fabricated using glow discharge implantation and XeCl laser annealing.