A pulsed XeCl excimer laser (&lgr;=308 nm) is used to meltn‐ andp‐type GaAs samples. Melt‐induced defects shift the surface Fermi level to anewpinning position at 0.58±0.04 eV below the conduction‐band minimum forbothn‐ andp‐type samples. The Schottky barrier height of Au, deposited on the GaAs after laser irradiation, is increased by 0.38 eV (from 0.43 to 0.81 eV) forp‐type, and decreased by 0.30 eV (from 0.84 to 0.54 eV) forn‐type samples. In the post‐melted GaAs near‐surface region, four deep levels are found using deep level transient spectroscopy. The observation of minority‐carrier traps in the Schottky diode structures suggests the existence of minority‐carrier source. We speculate a compensated region forms near the GaAs surface. A bulk Fermi level stabilization model is used to explain the changes observed in the Schottky barrier heights.