Patent ID: 7633034

Claim:
A system for using laser pulses to sever a selected electrically conductive link on or within a semiconductor substrate, the link having a surface, a width, and a length, and the laser pulses propagating along axes that move along scan beam paths relative to the substrate as the laser pulses sever the selected link, the system comprising: a means for simultaneously generating on the selected link first and second laser beam pulses that propagate along respective first and second laser beam axes intersecting the selected link at distinct first and second locations, the first and second laser beam pulses impinging substantially simultaneously at least in part on the surface of the selected link respective first and second beam spots, each beam spot encompassing at least the width of the selected link, the first and second beam spots being spatially offset from one another along the length of the selected link to define an overlapping region covered by both the first and the second beam spots and a total region covered by one or both of the first and second beam spots, wherein the total region is larger than the first beam spot and also larger than the second beam spot; and a means for setting respective first and second energy values of the first and second laser beam pulses to cause complete depthwise severance of the selected link across the link width in at least a portion of the total region.