In this paper, UV curing of optical fibre coatings using excimer lamp radiation has been demonstrated for the first time. These layers were prepared on silicon and quartz substrates by conventional spin coating and subsequently exposed to 172, 222 nm or 308 nm light from different excimer lamp sources. Ellipsometry, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and ultraviolet spectrophotometry have been used to characterise any modifications to the coatings and to generally monitor the evolution of the curing process. The absorption coefficient and photon penetration depth, as well as the intensity profiles in the coating, of each of the different wavelengths have been measured and calculated, The FTIR spectra revealed that the coatings were cured in less than 1 s under the 308 nm excimer lamp while the 222 nm excimer lamp was found to be extremely inefficient for the curing of the optical fibre coatings. After curing with the 172 nm excimer lamp, the surface of the coatings became cracked, irregular and milky in appearance. Such features are not observed when irradiating with 222 and 308 nm. The different UV curing effects of these three wavelengths will be discussed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.