A technique for fabricating an image sensor including a pixel circuitry region and a peripheral circuitry region includes fabricating front side components on a front side of the image sensor. A dopant layer is implanted on a backside of the image sensor. A anti-reflection layer is formed on the backside and covers a first portion of the dopant layer under the pixel circuitry region while exposing a second portion of the dopant layer under the peripheral circuitry region. The first portion of the dopant layer is laser annealed from the backside of the image sensor through the anti-reflection layer. The anti-reflection layer increases a temperature of the first portion of the dopant layer during the laser annealing.