NOVELTY - The semiconductor processing method comprises implanting a dopant such as an electron-donating dopant, hole-donating dopant or chemically-neutral dopant into a silicon semiconductor material having a first surface to cause ions to be present in a portion of the semiconductor material to some depth beneath the surface, and treating a portion of the surface with an energy source such as a pulsed laser source to restructure the semiconductor material in a region proximal to the portion of the treated first surface. The laser has pulse lengths of 20 femtoseconds and 50 nanoseconds.    USE - The semiconductor processing method is useful for controlling a photo-response characteristic of a semiconductor device such as photodetector device (all claimed), imaging arrays and high efficiency solar cells and photovoltaic devices.    ADVANTAGE - The method ensures high throughput and controllable creation of high performance semiconductor device with high sensitivity and high efficiency and uniform photo-response across the portion of the surface of the semiconductor device with improved characteristics, and reduces the throughput time for single or multiple semiconductor processing to a fraction of the processing time without increasing the amount of undesirable laser damage to the substrate.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - The semiconductor processing method comprises implanting a dopant such as an electron-donating dopant, hole-donating dopant or chemically-neutral dopant into a silicon semiconductor material having a first surface to cause ions to be present in a portion of the semiconductor material to some depth beneath the surface, and treating a portion of the surface with an energy source such as a pulsed laser source to restructure the semiconductor material in a region proximal to the portion of the treated first surface. The laser has pulse lengths of 20 femtoseconds and 50 nanoseconds. The semiconductor material has a quantum efficiency over 60% in a thickness under 400 nanometers. The ion implant is performed at an energy of 500 eV to 500 keV. The dopant implanting step causes a dopant concentration greater than 0.5x 1016 atoms/cm3 in the region of the semiconductor material to a depth of 5 micrometers below the surface of the semiconductor material. The semiconductor material has a response of 0.15 Ampere/Watt for a wavelength of 1150-1250 nanometers, and a response that is 40% greater than a response of a semiconductor material without undergone the treatment step. INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for:    (1) a method of controlling a photo-response characteristic of a semiconductor device; and    (2) a photodetector device.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The diagram shows a schematic view of a semiconductor substrate.    Laser irradiated doped region (400)    Semiconductor substrate. (410)