A method of creating a laser-defined control structure in a pressure relief device, said control structure comprising a plurality of control structure segments (38, 46, 56, 64, 74, 86, 88, 90, 92, and 94), said method comprising the steps of: - providing a pressure relief device comprising a pair of opposed faces (20 and 22), a central section and an outer flange section in surrounding relationship to said central section; - partitioning at least a portion of one of said faces (20 or 22) of said pressure relief device into a plurality of tiles, at least two of said tiles corresponding to areas of said one face (20 or 22) in which said control structure segments (38, 46, 56, 64, 74, 86, 88, 90, 92, and 94) are to be located; - passing a laser beam generated by a scanning laser over the area of said one face (20 or 22) corresponding to one of said tiles thereby forming one of said control structure segments (38, 46, 56, 64, 74, 86, 88, 90, 92, or 94); and - shifting the relative position of said laser and said pressure relief device; - passing said laser beam over the area of said one face (20 or 22) corresponding to another of said tiles thereby forming another of said control structure segments (38, 46, 56, 64, 74, 86, 88, 90, 92, or 94), - wherein said passing steps include forming an intermediate region (54, 64, 72, or 84) between adjacent control structure segments, said intermediate region (54, 64, 72, or 84) corresponding to a boundary between adjacent tiles, wherein said intermediate region (54, 64, 72, or 84) has a pressure relief device material thickness that is greater than the pressure relief device material thickness at the deepest point of either of said adjacent control structures. - providing a pressure relief device comprising a pair of opposed faces (20 and 22), a central section and an outer flange section in surrounding relationship to said central section; - partitioning at least a portion of one of said faces (20 or 22) of said pressure relief device into a plurality of tiles, at least two of said tiles corresponding to areas of said one face (20 or 22) in which said control structure segments (38, 46, 56, 64, 74, 86, 88, 90, 92, and 94) are to be located; - passing a laser beam generated by a scanning laser over the area of said one face (20 or 22) corresponding to one of said tiles thereby forming one of said control structure segments (38, 46, 56, 64, 74, 86, 88, 90, 92, or 94); and - shifting the relative position of said laser and said pressure relief device; - passing said laser beam over the area of said one face (20 or 22) corresponding to another of said tiles thereby forming another of said control structure segments (38, 46, 56, 64, 74, 86, 88, 90, 92, or 94), - wherein said passing steps include forming an intermediate region (54, 64, 72, or 84) between adjacent control structure segments, said intermediate region (54, 64, 72, or 84) corresponding to a boundary between adjacent tiles, wherein said intermediate region (54, 64, 72, or 84) has a pressure relief device material thickness that is greater than the pressure relief device material thickness at the deepest point of either of said adjacent control structures.