Fe films were deposited on both heated and not-heated Si (100) substrates using direct current magnetron sputtering, and were subsequently annealed by pulsed laser with various laser energy densities. Direct formation of single-phase alpha-FeSi2 was confirmed using X-ray diffraction and the surface morphology of films was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the crystallinity of the films deposited at room temperature is improved with increasing laser energy densities, while the crystallinity of the films deposited on heated substrates is improved with increasing substrate temperatures. For the samples deposited at the room temperature, the optimal laser energy density for the formation of alpha-FeSi2 is 0.95 J cm(-2). (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.