ABSTRACT
I. INTRODUCTION This chapter discusses excimer lasers and applications in the field of micromachining. Two types of excimer lasers, discharge excitation and waveguide, are described. These are the two most common lasers used in excimer material processing today. To give the excimer a perspective in the micromachining industry, other micromachining capabilities are compared and contrasted. There are three main regimes in which the excimer laser can operate in order to perform a material processing application. The concepts of the image projection system, the contact mask system, and the direct write system are introduced. Several generic applications are outlined which cover a range of typical materials and products and also serve to materialize these three systems. A discussion on part handling and tooling for large volumes of these examples then follows with a final section dedicated to laser maintenance and operations safety.
