Sn29Se56Sb10Co5 amorphous thin films were prepared on the polymer substrates, and was irradiated at room temperature by Nd:YAG pulsed laser in air, with the wavelength of 532 nm, pulse width of 90 ns after equilibration. Irradiation-induced surface morphological modifications were characterized using Secco-etching aided scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Complementary information was obtained from X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectrum and energy dispersive X-ray spectrum (EDS). The experimental results demonstrated that the grain size distribution was closely related to the laser beam profile. As a function of laser fluence, the average grain size evolution was also studied, which may not be interpreted by the conventional crystallography theories, and was related to some threshold effects. (C) 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.