An energy-efficient method and system for processing target material such as microstructures in a microscopic region without causing undesirable changes in electrical and/or physical characteristics of material surrounding the target material is provided. The system includes a controller for generating a processing control signal and a signal generator for generating a modulated drive waveform based on the processing control signal. The waveform has a sub-nanosecond rise time. The system also includes a gain-switched, pulsed semiconductor seed laser for generating a laser pulse train at a repetition rate. The drive waveform pumps the laser so that each pulse of the pulse train has a predetermined shape. Further, the system includes a laser amplifier for optically amplifying the pulse train to obtain an amplified pulse train without significantly changing the predetermined shape of the pulses. The amplified pulses have little distortion and have substantially the same relative temporal power distribution as the original pulse train from the laser. Each of the amplified pulses has a substantially square temporal power density distribution, a sharp rise time, a pulse duration and a fall time. The system further includes a beam delivery and focusing subsystem for delivering and focusing at least a portion of the amplified pulse train onto the target material. The rise time (less than about 1 ns) is fast enough to efficiently couple laser energy to the target material, the pulse duration (typically 2-10 ns) is sufficient to process the target material, and the fall time (a few ns) is rapid enough to prevent the undesirable changes to the material surrounding the target material.

Energy efficient, laser-based method and system for processing target material

A laser beam processing machine comprising a path distribution means for distributing a pulse laser beam oscillated by pulse laser beam oscillation means to a first path and a second path alternately, and one laser beam that passes through one of the paths and is converged by one condensing lens and the other laser beam that passes through the other path and is converged by the condensing lens are applied at different focusing points which have been displaced from each other in the direction of the optical axis, alternately with a time lag between them.

Laser beam processing machine

UV laser cutting throughput through silicon and like materials is improved by dividing a long cut path (112) into short segments (122), from about 10 µm to 1 mm. The laser output (32) is scanned within a first short segment (122) for a predetermined number of passes before being moved to and scanned within a second short segment (122) for a predetermined number of passes. The bite size, segment size (126), and segment overlap (136) can be manipulated to minimize the amount and type of trench backfill. Real-time monitoring is employed to reduce rescanning portions of the cut path (112) where the cut is already completed. Polarization direction of the laser output (32) is also correlated with the cutting direction to further enhance throughput. This technique can be employed to cut a variety of materials with a variety of different lasers and wavelengths.

Laser segmented cutting

A single pass actuator (70, 200), such as a deformable mirror (70), quickly changes, preferably in less than 1 ms, the focus and hence the spot size of ultraviolet or visible wavelength laser pulses to change the fluence of the laser output (66) at the workpiece surface between at least two different fluence levels to facilitate processing top metallic layers (264) at higher fluences and underlying dielectric layers (266) at lower fluences to protect bottom metallic layers (268). The focus change is accomplished without requiring Z-axis movement of the laser positioning system (62). In addition, the spot size can be changed advantageously during trepanning operations to decrease via taper, reduce lip formation, increase throughput, and/or minimize damage.

Laser system and method for single press micromachining of multilayer workpieces

A diode-pumped, solid-state laser (52) of a laser system (50) provides ultraviolet Gaussian output (54) that is converted by a diffractive optical element (90) into shaped output (94) having a uniform irradiance profile. A high percentage of the shaped output (94) is focused through an aperture of a mask (98) to provide imaged shaped output (118). The laser system (50) facilitates a method for increasing the throughput of a via drilling process over that available with an analogous clipped Gaussian laser system. This method is particularly advantageous for drilling blind vias (20b) that have better edge, bottom, and taper qualities than those produced by a clipped Gaussian laser system. An alternative laser system (150) employs a pair of beam diverting galvanometer mirrors (152, 154) that directs the Gaussian output around a shaped imaging system (70) that includes a diffractive optical element (90) and a mask (98). Laser system (150) provides a user with the option of using either a Gaussian output or an imaged shaped output (118).

Beam shaping and projection imaging with solid state uv gaussian beam to form vias

The output of a continuously pumped, Q-switched, Nd:YAG laser (10) is frequency converted to provide ultraviolet light (62) for forming vias (72, 74) in targets (40) having metallic layers (64,68) and a dielectric layer (66) The invention employs a first laser output of high power density to ablate the metallic layer and a second laser output of a lower power density to ablate the dielectric layer The parameters of the output pulses (62) are selected to facilitate substantially clean, sequential drilling or via formation These parameters typically include at least two of the following criteria: power density first above and then below the ablation threshold of the conductor, wavelength less than 400 nm, a temporal pulse width shorter than about 100 nanoseconds, and a repetition rate of greater than about one kilohertz The ability to generate ultraviolet light output pulses at two power densities facilitates the formation of depthwise self-limiting blind vias in multilayer targets, such as a target composed of a layer dielectric material covered on either surface by a layer of metal

Bonnie A. Larson

Papers

Method employing UV laser pulses of varied energy density to form depthwise self-limiting blind vias in multilayered targets

Verfahren zur verwendung von uv-laserimpulsen variierter engergiedichte zum formen von blindlöchern in mehrschichtigen zielen