We have studied the laser‐enhanced nucleation of oxidation‐induced stacking faults in ion‐implanted silicon. Silicon ions of 100 keV were implanted onto the silicon surface in the dosages ranging from 1.0×1013to 1.0×1014cm−2. The laser beam used was 1.06 &mgr;m in wavelength with a diameter of 40 &mgr;m, and was generated from aQ‐switched Nd:YAG laser at a repetition rate of 12 kHz and a 150‐ns pulse width. It was found that the laser irradiation enhanced the generation of oxidation‐induced stacking faults or their generation nuclei through the implantation‐induced lattice defects at the boundary between the laser scanned and nonscanned regions. Laser‐enhanced nucleation is caused by the supersaturation of the silicon self‐interstitials generated by the rapid heating‐cooling cycle induced by laser irradiation reacting with the self‐interstitials induced during oxidation.