A transparent, hard silica glass (SiO₂) layer was formed on a conventional protective coat made of silicone ([SiO(CH₃)₂]n) on a polycarbonate plate by the 157 nm F₂ laser-induced photochemical modification of silicone into SiO₂. An optimum laser irradiation time of the F₂ laser was found to form a crack-free SiO₂ layer. The high optical transparency of the samples in the visible light region remained unchanged after the F₂ laser irradiation. In the Taber abrasion test, the SiO₂ layer markedly reduced the number of scratches, resulting in a low haze value. The haze values of the samples also depend on the thickness of the silicone protective coat underneath the SiO₂ protective layer. As a result, the difference of haze value [δ Hz] was successfully reduced to 1.2%, compared with these of the nonirradiated sample and a bare polycarbonate plate of approximately 3.5 and 46%, respectively, which is comparable to the case of a bare silica glass of approximately 0.9%.