NOVELTY - Making epitaxially textured polycrystalline thin film comprises providing precursor film on substrate, and irradiating the textured film through substrate using pulsed laser crystallization technique to at least partially melt the film. The film comprises crystal grains with surface texture and non-uniform degree of texture throughout the thickness of the film. A portion(s) of the substrate is transparent to laser irradiation. The irradiated film crystallizes upon cooling to form crystal grains having uniform degree of texture.    USE - Method for making epitaxially textured polycrystalline thin film (claimed) used as seed layer for polycrystalline thick-film solar cells.    ADVANTAGE - The method provides uniform degree and higher quality texture throughout the thickness of film, thus eliminating or reducing defect formation. The method eliminates the need for an additional process step.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - The pulsed laser crystallization technique comprises flood irradiation to partially melt the film leaving a thin portion of the film solid at the surface of the film or sequential lateral solidification, and directing laser beam pulses through mask to generate patterned laser beams. The sequential lateral solidification crystallization comprises generating laser beam pulses, irradiating selected region of film with laser beam pulses, and irradiating successive portions of the selected region with pulsed laser beams to crystallize the selected region of the film. The textured film is generated by direct deposition methods. The direct deposition methods comprise chemical vapor deposition, sputtering, and/or evaporation. The pulsed laser crystallization methods comprise sequential lateral solidification or multiple-pulse excimer laser annealing process. The thin portion comprises crystal grains with crystallographic orientation in one direction. A portion of crystal grains having crystallographic orientation predominantly in one direction are completely melted. The melted portion laterally crystallizes on the crystallographically oriented crystals. The beam has intensity to melt the irradiated portion of the film. The irradiated portion of the film crystallizes upon cooling into crystallographic orientation in one direction. The mask comprises dot-patterned mask or opaque array patterns including dot-shaped areas, hexagonal-shaped areas, or rectangular-shaped areas. The predominant crystallographic orientation is (111) or (100) orientation. An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is included for film processing system.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The drawing shows a schematic view of the back side laser irradiation method.