Method and apparatus for forming a conductive track

An apparatus for forming a conductive track on a surface of a substrate, the substrate comprising deposited material along a path on a surface of the substrate wherein the path is formed in a predefined pattern on the surface of the substrate, the path comprising straight portions extending in different directions and/or curved portions, the apparatus comprising:

• a support for supporting the substrate;
• a laser beam source configured to provide a laser beam having an optical axis and an energy distribution within a cross-sectional area of the laser beam incident on the surface, the energy distribution being non-circularly symmetric about the optical axis at the surface;
• and
• directing means configured to direct the laser beam to move along said path to irradiate the deposited material to provide a conductive track along said path,
• wherein the laser beam is arranged to follow the straight and/or curved portions of the path, wherein a selected orientation of the energy distribution within the cross-sectional area is aligned with the direction of movement of the laser beam and the directin means are confi ured to rotate the energy distribution of the laser beam within the cross-sectional area about the optical axis relative to the substrate so as to maintain alignment between the selected orientation and the direction of movement.