Controlling dynamic and thermal loads on laser beam positioning system to achieve high-throughput laser processing of workpiece features

A method of accomplishing high-throughput laser processing of workpiece features arranged in a densely spaced pattern while minimizing workpiece feature processing inaccuracy and quality degradation that result from dynamic and thermal loads on laser beam positioning and optical components directing the laser beam during workpiece feature processing, comprising:

• positioning a workpiece on a support, the workpiece having a process surface that defines a process surface area;
• directing a laser beam to a beam positioning system to provide a processing laser beam for incidence at feature locations on the process surface of the workpiece, the beam positioning system including a movable stage and first and second beam positioners that cooperate with the movable stage to process in a densely spaced pattern workpiece features at the feature locations on the process surface of the workpiece, the first beam positioner characterized by a first response time and operable to position the processing laser beam within a scan field region of the process surface, and the second beam positioner including a zero-inertia optical deflector characterized by a second response time and operable to move the processing beam to locations within the scan field region, the second response time being shorter than the first response time;
• and
• controlling the beam positioning system to coordinate operation of the movable stage and the first beam positioner to position the processing laser beam within the scan field region and move the scan field region to cover the process surface, the scan field region being substantially smaller than the process surface area of the workpiece and including multiple processing bands that each encompass multiple feature locations;
• to operate the first beam positioner to successively position the processing laser beam to the multiple processing bands within the scan field region;
• and to operate the second beam positioner to process the workpiece features at the multiple feature locations in each of the processing bands by moving the processing laser beam to and dwelling the processing laser beam at each feature location to process the workpiece features in the processing band, so that the first beam positioner undergoes negligible acceleration and deceleration during workpiece feature processing within the scan field region.