Polycrystalline thin-film CuInSe2 has been formed by rapid thermal processing of vacuum codeposited Cu, In, and Se. Films were fabricated and characterized in three composition regions: Cu-poor (∼20 at. % Cu), stoichiometric (25 at. %), and Cu-rich (∼28 at. %). Characterization results are presented including x-ray diffraction analysis, electron probe for microanalysis, scanning electron microscopy, and optical reflection and transmission measurements. Results show that nearly single-phase material has been formed from codeposited precursors with a post-deposition annealing time of less than 2 min. The films have optical absorption coefficients in the high 104 cm−1 range with minimum subgap absorption, and an optical band gap of 1.0 eV with smooth morphologies amenable to photovoltaic device fabrication.