A process was investigated to irradiate a continuous-wave CO2 laser (4.5 kW) on graphite powder with a mean diameter of 5 pin in a flow of Ar or He gas at 30 or 200 Torr. The film produced on a Ni substrate in the Ar flow at 200 Torr showed the Raman bands Of C-60 and C-70, and the C-60/C-70 ratio was estimated to be 5/1 by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The film formation process is discussed on the basis of an analysis of laser-irradiated powder, which included 0.01 wt% Of C-60, by UV-Vis absorption, and by observations of the plumes and SEM images. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.