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Carbon fibers (CFs) are an important engineering material due to their superior mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. Majority of them are produced from the thermal conversion of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based fibers. In order to promote the CF manufacturing speed and offer the possibility to control the microstructure of the fibers, an alternative technology for carbonization of stabilized PAN fiber are explored by laser processing technology. In this work, we investigated the relationship between the laser process and the properties of fibers. Laser irradiation introduces the structural changes in the stabilized PAN fibers. The appearance of D band and G band in Raman spectrum verifies the existence of graphite structures in the laser scanned fibers. The characteristic peaks in FTIR disappear when the high laser energy condition is engaged, which indicates diminishing of non-carbon bonds. Laser treatment also introduces an obvious shrinkage in fiber diameter. The condition of laser irradiation could influence the electrical and mechanical properties of fibers. A new approach to convert stabilized PAN fiber into carbon fiber was demonstrated.