Patent ID: 7998838

Claim:
A laser-based processing method of front surface scribing a pattern in a thin film structure disposed on a substrate, the method comprising: providing a series of laser pulses, wherein each laser pulse in the series of laser pulses is characterized by a wavelength, a pulse energy, a pulse width between leading edge and trailing edge 10% power points, a predetermined laser pulse temporal power shape, and a laser spot area, wherein the pulse width is more than 1 ns and less than 10 ns, and wherein the fall time of the trailing edge between 90% to 10% power points is less than 2 ns; directing the series of laser pulses along an optical path; positioning the substrate having the thin film structure such that the thin film structure faces the optical path; placing the laser spot of the first pulse at a spot position on the thin film structure; removing at least a portion of the thin film; and placing the laser spots of each of the following pulses in the series of pulses at spot positions along a pattern on the thin film such that each spot position is adjacent to the spot position of the laser spot of the previous pulse, and there is an overlap of spot positions such that an overlap area of each spot overlaps in some amount an overlap area of each previous spot.