The cleaning of bulk carbon single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs) by use of a 248 nm excimer laser is verified with imaging, and quantitative evaluation of morphology and composition. A 5% change in responsivity of a pyroelectric detector coated with SWNTs is presented as a novel assessment of the change in SWNT coating topology. Changes in purity are shown by reduced full-width-at-half-maximum of the Raman D-band for 248 nm exposure up to 755 mW/cm(2). The 248 nm (5 eV) photon-plasmon resonance is considered as a mechanism for the reduction of impurities and an intermediate stage of purification. Published by Elsevier B.V.