Patent ID: 6911622

Claim:
A system for vaporizing a target structure on a silicon substrate, comprising: a laser pumping source; a laser resonator cavity configured to be pumped by the laser pumping source; a laser output system configured to produce a laser output from energy stored in the laser resonator cavity and to direct the laser output at the target structure on the silicon substrate in order to vaporize the target structure, at a wavelength below an absorption edge of the silicon substrate and below about 0.55 microns, the silicon substrate being positioned beneath the target structure with respect to the laser output, the laser output system being configured to produce the laser output at an incident beam energy; a computer programmed to generate computer-controlled timing signals synchronized with the position of the pulsed laser beam relative to the target structure; and an optical switch that is controllably switchable based on the timing signals so as to cause output pulses of the pulsed laser beam to be transmitted to the target structure; wherein the incident beam energy at which the target structure is vaporized is reduced relative to an incident beam energy necessary to deposit unit energy in the target structure sufficient to vaporize the target structure at a higher wavelength below the absorption edge of the silicon substrate.