Methods and apparatus for processing a large area pulsed laser beam to create apertures through microlens arrays

A method of optically processing a pulsed laser beam to create apertures in a layer on a back side of a substrate that includes a microlens array on a front side thereof, the method comprising:

• impinging the pulsed laser beam through the microlens array on the front side of the substrate and onto the layer on the back side of the substrate,
• wherein the substrate that includes the microlens array on the front side thereof and the layer on the back side thereof is configured for visible light applications and wherein the pulsed laser beam is a pulsed laser beam having longer wavelength than visible light, and
• wherein the pulsed laser beam is at least one inch square in area and is sufficiently uniform in power to create apertures in the layer on the back side of the substrate through all of the microlenses in the microlens array on the front side thereof on which the at least one inch square pulsed laser beam impinges wherein the microlenses include at least one base dimension that is less than about 100 μm in size.

(canceled)

-96. (canceled)

A method of optically processing a pulsed laser beam to create apertures in a layer on a back side of a substrate that includes a microlens array on a front side thereof, the method comprising:

• impinging the pulsed laser beam through the microlens array on the front side of the substrate and onto the layer on the back side of the substrate,
• wherein the pulsed laser beam is at least one inch square in area and is sufficiently uniform in power to create apertures in the layer on the back side of the substrate through all of the microlenses in the microlens array on the front side thereof on which the at least one inch square pulsed laser beam impinges, wherein the microlenses include at least one base dimension that is less than about 100 μm in size.

-101. (canceled)

-104. (canceled)

-124. (canceled)

A method of optically processing a pulsed laser beam to create apertures in a layer on a back side of a substrate that includes a microlens array on a front side thereof, the method comprising:

• impinging the pulsed laser beam through the microlens array on the front side of the substrate and onto the layer on the back side of the substrate, so as to create a given aperture through a given microlens of the microlens array using a single pulse of the pulsed laser beam,
• wherein the substrate that includes the microlens array on the front side thereof and the layer on the back side thereof is configured for visible light applications and wherein the pulsed laser beam is a pulsed laser beam having longer wavelength than visible light.

A method of optically processing a pulsed laser beam to create apertures in a layer on a back side of a substrate that includes a microlens array on a front side thereof, the method comprising:

• impinging the pulsed laser beam through the microlens array on the front side of the substrate and onto the layer on the back side of the substrate, so as to create a given aperture through a given microlens of the microlens array using a single pulse of the pulsed laser beam,
• wherein the pulsed laser beam is at least one inch square in area and is sufficiently uniform in power to create apertures in the layer on the back side of the substrate through all of the microlenses in the microlens array on the front side thereof on which the at least one inch square pulsed laser beam impinges, wherein the microlenses include at least one base dimension that is less than about 100 μm in size.