The effects of XeCl excimer laser annealing on a nickel-induced crystallized polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) film are described. A XeCl excimer laser was irradiated on a metal induced laterally crystallized (MILC) poly-Si film which incorporated 2 mum wide metal induced crystallized (MIC) poly-Si line patterns. On the irradiation of the laser beams with various laser energy densities from 270 to 490 mJ/cm(2), different melt and recrystallization phenomena were observed in the MILC poly-Si and in the MIC poly-Si region because the MIC poly-Si film had much higher Ni content than the MILC poly-Si film. To investigate the effect of the Ni content in the poly-Si film during the laser annealing, transmission electron microscopy and secondary ion mass spectrometry were used. Our experimental results show that the melting temperature of the poly-Si film decreases as the Ni content increases. With the optimum laser irradiation energy density of 370 mJ/cm(2), 2 mum long poly-Si grains grew in the MILC poly-Si film due to the gradual decrease of the melting temperature of the MILC poly-Si near the Ni-rich MIC poly-Si.