It is found that when uncoated GaAs samples are irradiated with a Q-switched ruby laser, the samples suffer substantial weight losses for laser energy densities > 0.3 J/cm2. These weight losses are believed to result from the vaporisation of the samples during the period in which the surfaces are in a molten state. The incomplete electrical activation of implanted ions in GaAs after laser annealing can be accounted for by the weight-loss phenomenon. © 1979, The Institution of Electrical Engineers. All rights reserved.