An apparatus and method for uniformizing the temperature distribution across a semiconductor wafer during radiation annealing of process regions formed in the wafer is disclosed. The method includes forming a silicon layer atop the upper surface of the wafer and irradiating the layer with one or more pulses of radiation having wavelengths that are substantially absorbed by the silicon layer. The silicon layer acts to uniformly absorb the one or more radiation pulses and then transfers the heat from the absorbed radiation to the process regions across the wafer.