Abstract: A method and apparatus for metalizing a substrate by heating and applying a voltage across an ion exchange substrate to embed metallic ions from a metallic layer within the ion exchange substrate by a process of ion exchange. The resultant as-diffused substrate has metallic ions are distributed substantially homogeneously across the substrate. This may be metalized by applying a pulsed laser beam to a surface of the as-diffused substrate at or near a concentration of metallic ions such that the energy of the laser causes the conversion of the metallic ions in the as-diffused substrate into metal atoms at or near the point at which the laser pulse is incident upon the as-diffused substrate thereby creating a metalized substrate with a surface pattern defined by the movement of the laser beam across the surface of the as-diffused substrate.