An ArF excimer laser was used to produce photoelectrons from common metal surfaces at modest vacuum. The photoelectrons are subsequently accelerated across an anode‐cathode gap. Both space‐charge and emission‐limited flow were examined. The temporal characteristics of the emission‐limited electron beam produced by this device are nearly identical to those of the laser pulse used to produce the photoemission. In the space‐charge‐limited case, a rise time of 3 ns was obtained. Maximum current densities of 70 A/cm2were achieved.