Abstract: A process to laser micro-machine a metal part with a high cosmetic quality surface includes applying a protective coating layer to at least one surface of the part before micro-machining the part with a laser. The protective coating applied to the high quality cosmetic surface can have a thickness of between about 5 mil and about 10 mil, inclusive and have sufficient adhesion strength to adhere to the part without delaminating during processing. The protective coating applied to the machining surface of the part can be a metallic material, such as a metallic foil or tape.

Abstract: A process to laser micro-machine a metal part with a high cosmetic quality surface, including applying a protective coating layer to at least one surface of the part to physically isolate the surface from air prior to micro-machining the part with a laser, and sacrificing the protective layer to block/consume oxygen in air by carbonization and oxidation due to strong laser irradiation. The protective coating applied to at least one of a front side high quality cosmetic surface and a back side surface of the part. The coating layer being highly transparent to an applied laser beam, having a thickness of between approximately 5 mil and approximately 10 mil, inclusive, and having sufficient adhesion strength to adhere to the part without delaminating during processing. The laser can be selected from a nano-second pulse width laser and a micro-second pulse width laser to process the part.

Abstract: In some embodiments, laser output including at least one laser pulse having a wavelength shorter than 400 microns and having a pulsewidth shorter than 1,000 picoseconds permits the number of pulses used to clean a bottom surface of a via or the surface of a solder pad to increase process throughput. An oscillator module in cooperation with an amplification module may be used to generate the laser output.

Abstract: In some embodiments, laser output including at least one laser pulse having a wavelength shorter than 400 microns and having a pulsewidth shorter than 1,000 picoseconds permits the number of pulses used to clean a bottom surface of a via or the surface of a solder pad to increase process throughput. An oscillator module in cooperation with an amplification module may be used to generate the laser output.

Abstract: An improved method and apparatus for drilling vias in electronic substrates with laser pulses is presented which uses one or more tailored pulses to reduce debris remaining in the via while maintaining system throughput and avoiding damage to the substrate. A tailored pulse is a laser pulse that features a power spike having a peak power 10% higher than the average power of the pulse and lasting less than 50% of the duration of the pulse. Methods and apparatuses for creating tailored pulses by slicing longer duration pulses are shown.

Abstract: A process for laser forming a blind via in at least one layer of a circuit substrate having a plurality of capture pads of varying geometry can include, for at least one blind via to be formed in at least one layer of a circuit substrate, evaluating a capture pad geometry value (such as area and/or volume) within a predetermined distance from a drilling location with respect to a blind via geometry value (such as area and/or volume) to be formed at the drilling location. The process can include setting at least one laser operating parameter based on the evaluation in order to obtain a desired capture pad appearance after blind via formation. The process can include imaging a capture pad area defined as an area within a predetermined distance from a blind via drilling location in at least one layer of a circuit substrate, quantifying at least one appearance value for the imaged capture pad area, and determining an acceptability of the imaged capture pad areas based on the quantified appearance value.

Abstract: A process for laser forming a blind via in at least one layer of a circuit substrate having a plurality of capture pads of varying geometry can include, for at least one blind via to be formed in at least one layer of a circuit substrate, evaluating a capture pad geometry value (such as area and/or volume) within a predetermined distance from a drilling location with respect to a blind via geometry value (such as area and/or volume) to be formed at the drilling location. The process can include setting at least one laser operating parameter based on the evaluation in order to obtain a desired capture pad appearance after blind via formation. The process can include imaging a capture pad area defined as an area within a predetermined distance from a blind via drilling location in at least one layer of a circuit substrate, quantifying at least one appearance value for the imaged capture pad area, and determining an acceptability of the imaged capture pad areas based on the quantified appearance value.

Abstract: Dual-beam laser outputs, preferably derived from a single laser beam, improve the quality of the sidewalls of vias drilled in a target material, such as printed circuit board, comprising fiber-reinforced resin. Two embodiments each use two laser output components to remove a portion of target material from a target material location of a workpiece and rapidly clean remnants of the target material bonded to a metal layer underlying the target material location at a material removal rate. A first embodiment entails directing for incidence on a portion of the target material at the target material location a processing laser output having first and second components characterized by respective first and second wavelengths. A second embodiment entails directing for incidence on a portion of the target material at the target material location a processing laser output having first and second components characterized by respective first and pulse widths.

Abstract: A method of and an apparatus for drilling blind vias with selectable tapers in multilayer electronic circuits permit forming electrical connections between layers while maintaining quality and throughput. The method relies on recognizing that the top diameter of the via and the bottom diameter of the via, which define the taper, are functions of two separate sets of equations. Simultaneous solution of these equations yields a solution space that enables optimization of throughput while maintaining selected taper and quality using temporally unmodified Q-switched CO2 laser pulses with identical pulse parameters. Real time pulse tailoring is not required; therefore, system complexity and cost may be reduced.

Abstract: A process for laser forming a blind via in at least one layer of a circuit substrate having a plurality of capture pads of varying geometry can include, for at least one blind via to be formed in at least one layer of a circuit substrate, evaluating a capture pad geometry value (such as area and/or volume) within a predetermined distance from a drilling location with respect to a blind via geometry value (such as area and/or volume) to be formed at the drilling location. The process can include setting at least one laser operating parameter based on the evaluation in order to obtain a desired capture pad appearance after blind via formation. The process can include imaging a capture pad area defined as an area within a predetermined distance from a blind via drilling location in at least one layer of a circuit substrate, quantifying at least one appearance value for the imaged capture pad area, and determining an acceptability of the imaged capture pad areas based on the quantified appearance value.

Abstract: In some embodiments, laser output including at least one laser pulse having a wavelength shorter than 400 microns and having a pulsewidth shorter than 1,000 picoseconds permits the number of pulses used to clean a bottom surface of a via or the surface of a solder pad to increase process throughput. An oscillator module in cooperation with an amplification module may be used to generate the laser output.

Abstract: High speed removal of material from a specimen employs a beam positioner for directing a laser beam axis along various circular and spiral laser tool patterns. A preferred method of material removal entails causing relative movement between the axis of the beam and the specimen, directing the beam axis at an entry segment acceleration and along an entry trajectory to an entry position within the specimen at which laser beam pulse emissions are initiated, moving the beam axis at a circular perimeter acceleration within the specimen to remove material along a circular segment of the specimen, and setting the entry segment acceleration to less than twice the circular perimeter acceleration.

Abstract: An active area (1) is provided with a concave part in its corner portion in a shape along a plan view. An insulating film (7) encloses this active area. A gate electrode (30) is arranged on a depressed region (DR) having an edge portion which is located on a low position due to the concave part, while a gate electrode (20) is arranged on an ordinary region (OR) having an edge portion projecting beyond the depressed region. A gate end cap (margin part) of the gate electrode (20) has a length x, while that of the gate electrode (30) has a length x+?. Thus provided is a semiconductor device causing no current defect between source/drain regions even if the active area and an insulating film defining this active area fail to satisfy the layout design following refinement of the semiconductor device.

Abstract: An active area (1) is provided with a concave part in its corner portion in a shape along a plan view. An insulating film (7) encloses this active area. A gate electrode (30) is arranged on a depressed region (DR) having an edge portion which is located on a low position due to the concave part, while a gate electrode (20) is arranged on an ordinary region (OR) having an edge portion projecting beyond the depressed region. A gate end cap (margin part) of the gate electrode (20) has a length x, while that of the gate electrode (30) has a length x+?. Thus provided is a semiconductor device causing no current defect between source/drain regions even if the active area and an insulating film defining this active area fail to satisfy the layout design following refinement of the semiconductor device.

Abstract: A print control apparatus is provided which inhibits an output of content data if a destination of the content data is a virtual printer for converting the content data to a file.

Abstract: An active area (1) is provided with a concave part in its corner portion in a shape along a plan view. An insulating film (7) encloses this active area. A gate electrode (30) is arranged on a depressed region (DR) having an edge portion which is located on a low position due to the concave part, while a gate electrode (20) is arranged on an ordinary region (OR) having an edge portion projecting beyond the depressed region. A gate end cap (margin part) of the gate electrode (20) has a length x, while that of the gate electrode (30) has a length x+?. Thus provided is a semiconductor device causing no current defect between source/drain regions even if the active area and an insulating film defining this active area fail to satisfy the layout design following refinement of the semiconductor device.

Abstract: High speed removal of material from a specimen employs a beam positioner for directing a laser beam axis along various circular and spiral laser tool patterns. A preferred method of material removal entails causing relative movement between the axis of the beam and the specimen, directing the beam axis at an entry segment acceleration and along an entry trajectory to an entry position within the specimen at which laser beam pulse emissions are initiated, moving the beam axis at a circular perimeter acceleration within the specimen to remove material along a circular segment of the specimen, and setting the entry segment acceleration to less than twice the circular perimeter acceleration.

Abstract: A SDH test apparatus substitutes a part of payload of received SDH data with a desired data and transmits. A FIFO memory is installed between the Rx AU processor and the Tx AU processor, stores sequentially AU data extracted by the Rx AU processor and outputs to the Tx AU processor in the order of memorization. An AU pointer processor outputs an AU pointer adjusting the number of data in the FIFO memory, allowing the Tx AU processor to read in payload of AU data, after a time lag (?T2+?T4) of information leading head position of payload generated by the processing of AU data by the Rx AU processor and the Tx AU processor, by extracting the number of data in the FIFO memory. The Tx AU processor is composed to read out the payload of AU data from the FIFO memory, generate AU data and output to the Tx SOH processor so that the information leading position is at the position designated by the AU pointer value output from the AU pointer processor.

Abstract: A diode-pumped, solid-state laser (52) of a laser system (50) provides ultraviolet Gaussian output (54) that is converted by a diffractive optical element (90) into shaped output (94) having a uniform irradiance profile. A high percentage of the shaped output (94) is focused through an aperture of a mask (98) to provide imaged to provide imaged shaped output (118). The laser system (50) facilitates a method for increasing the throughput of a via drilling process over that available with an analogous clipped Gaussian laser system. This method is particularly advantageous for drilling blind vias (20b) that have better edge, bottom, and taper qualities than those produced by a clipped Gaussian laser system. An alternative laser system (150) employs a pair of beam diverting galvanometer mirrors (152, 154) that directs the Gaussian output around a shaped imaging system (70) that includes a diffractive optical element (90) and a mask (98).

Abstract: A SDH signal generation portion generates and outputs an SDH signal by increasing/decreasing the AU point values contained in the SDH signal, using a sequence pattern made of a plurality of arbitrary combinations of basic patterns, a single basic pattern being made of changing the AU pointer values successively for a predetermined repetition number of times with the same increase/decrease type and repetition cycle. A memory stores in a different memory area for each basic pattern, taking the increase/decrease type, repetition cycle and repetition number of times as one set of basic pattern information, for basic patterns used in the SDH signal generation portion, and, stores an address designating a memory area storing the basic pattern information of the basic pattern following its own basic pattern for respective basic pattern.