Patent ID: 7671295

Claim:
A method of severing multiple selected electrically conductive redundant memory or integrated circuit links having associated multiple selected link structures, each link having a link width and being positioned between an associated pair of electrically conductive contacts in a circuit fabricated on either a substrate or an optional underlying passivation layer positioned between the electrically conductive link and the substrate, the substrate and any optional underlying passivation layer associated with the link structures being characterized by respective laser damage thresholds, comprising: providing to a beam positioner beam positioning data representing locations of the multiple selected link structures; generating, for each selected link structure, a set of two or more time-displaced laser output pulses for emission and propagation to a laser spot position, each of the laser output pulses in the set characterized by a laser spot having a spot size and energy characteristics at the laser spot position, the spot size being larger than the link width and the energy characteristics being below the respective laser damage thresholds of any underlying passivation layer and the substrate; and imparting, from the beam positioner, rapid relative movement of the laser spot position and the substrate; the beam positioner, in response to the beam positioning data, moving the laser spot position between multiple selected link structures and directing the laser spot position to the multiple selected link structures so that respective sets of laser pulses impinge on respective multiple selected link structures at a repetition rate of greater than about 1 kHz; and coordinating control of laser output pulse generation and control of the rapid relative movement imparted by the beam positioner such that the laser spot position moves with respect to the selected link structures while the laser output pulses in the sets sequentially strike the selected link structures so that laser spots of the laser output pulses in the set overlap each other and encompass the link width and so that the sets have specified durations of less than 500 ns and sever the selected electrically conductive links between their associated pairs of electrically conductive contacts without causing operational damage to the substrate.