A laser lift-off method includes generating a plurality of solid state laser pulses, converting the plurality of solid state laser pulses to an ultraviolet frequency, adjusting the transverse spatial intensity profile of the plurality of laser pulses across perpendicular transverse axes to be rectangular in shape with the shape along each transverse axis corresponds to a super-Gaussian of order eight or higher, and scanning the plurality of laser pulses across the target along a direction parallel to one of the transverse axes in order to produce laser lift-off on the target. Systems for laser lift-off are also disclosed.