Low-thermal-budget processes are required for Ti electrode in the present gate-first n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (nMOSFET) applications because of its thermal stability problem. In this article, the effects of laser annealing on Ti electrodes (in HfO2/SiO2 nMOSFET) are discussed. The processes of Ti electrode degradation and HfO2 crystallization are optimized effectively. HfO2/SiO2 nMOSFET with Ti electrode displayed an effective work function (similar to 4.26 eV), corresponding to the conduction bandedge and an equivalent oxide thickness of 11.7 A by controlling the laser annealing. (C) 2008 The Electrochemical Society.