Patent ID: 8173929
Filing Date: 2012-05-08
Classification: B23K

Abstract:
1. A method of removing material from the surface of a first circuit comprising: generating a first laser pulse using a pulse generator; targeting a spot on the first circuit using a focusing component; delivering the first laser pulse to the spot on the first circuit, the first circuit including a digital component; ablating material from the spot using the first laser pulse without changing a state of the digital component; and testing performance of the first circuit following the step of ablating material, the testing being performed without reinitializing the circuit between the steps of ablating material and testing performance, wherein targeting the spot on the first circuit comprises: covering the first circuit using a thin conformal material configured to emit light when struck by a laser pulse of near-infrared wavelength; generating and delivering a second laser pulse at a sub-ablation power through the thin conformal material, the second laser pulse being configured to cause the thin conformal material to emit light; detecting the light emitted by the thin conformal material; and using the light to guide the first laser pulse to the spot.