ABSTRACTSintered aluminium nitride ceramic is most attractive for applications in modern electronic packaging, due to its high thermal conductivity and its high electrical resistivity. Among the sintering additives which are mentioned in the literature, Y2O3 is used most often as sintering accelerator and densificator for AlN commercial ceramics.Since excimer lasers have recently proved to be efficient in ceramic processing for industry, the effects of excimer laser irradiation on sintered Y2O3;rdoped AlN ceramic have been studied in this work. Raman spectroscopy, low-angle X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis are used for characterizing both the initial and processed materials. The results reveal that yttrium-containing phases which are present at the AlN grain boundaries play an essential role in coupling the (λ =248nm) excimer laser beam with sintered material. Moreover, the laser-induced decomposition of these pre-existing complex phases and the subsequent spinel-like formation upon autocatalytic copper (or nickel) deposition are associated with (and explain) the excellent adhesion of the so-formed metal layer onto the ceramic substrate.