The thermomigration of tellurium precipitates in a cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) crystal was observed using an infrared (IR) CO2 laser beam. Te precipitates present in CdZnTe have been shown to thermally migrate along a temperature gradient. Selective energy deposition from an IR laser beam in Te precipitates was investigated as a potentially advantageous approach to speed the annealing of Te precipitates in CdZnTe. Initial results indicate Te precipitates do thermally migrate under IR laser heating. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.