Patent ID: 8148211

Claim:
A method for selectively irradiating structures on or within a semiconductor substrate using a plurality of laser beams, the structures being arranged in a row extending in a generally lengthwise direction, the method comprising: generating a first laser beam that propagates along a first laser beam axis that intersects the semiconductor substrate; generating a second laser beam that propagates along a second laser beam axis that intersects the semiconductor substrate; simultaneously directing the first and second laser beams onto distinct first and second structures in the row; and moving the first and second laser beam axes relative to the semiconductor substrate substantially in unison in a direction substantially parallel to the lengthwise direction of the row, so as to selectively irradiate structures in the row with one or more of the first and second laser beams simultaneously, wherein the first and second laser beams are pulsed laser beams and wherein the first laser beam delivers a first laser pulse to a target structure, and the second laser beam later delivers a second laser pulse to the target structure.