Workpiece stabilization with gas flow

Abstract

A method is provided for maintaining a workpiece in a focal plane of a laser drilling system. The method includes: providing a workpiece holder that is adapted to releasably retain a workpiece on a planar surface thereof, the planar surface having a recess extending therein; positioning the workpiece onto a planar surface of a workpiece holder, such that the workpiece extends across the recess formed in the workpiece holder and an exposed surface of the workpiece aligns with a focal plane of a laser drilling system; projecting a laser beam from the laser drilling system onto the exposed surface of the workpiece, thereby forming an ablation on the exposed surface of the workpiece; and directing a flow of gas onto the exposed surface of the workpiece substantially concurrent with the step of projecting a laser beam, such that the flow of gas substantially impinges on an area of the exposed surface that extends across the recess formed in the workpiece holder, thereby maintaining the exposed surface of the workpiece in the focal plane of the laser drilling system during the laser drilling operation.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.