1. A laser processing apparatus configured to concentrate, when a material is cut, laser light to a light concentrating point at a predetermined depth inside the material from a surface of the material to form an internal processing region, the laser processing apparatus comprising:
a first optical system having a laser light concentrating position adjustment device configured to concentrate laser light inside the material to form the internal processing region;
a second optical system having an automatic focusing device used to observe the surface of the material; and
an objective lens shared by the first optical system and the second optical system and configured to face the surface of the material,
wherein laser light concentrating position adjustment by the laser light concentrating position adjustment device and automatic focusing adjustment by the automatic focusing adjustment device are performed independent of each other.
2. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the laser light concentrating position adjustment device includes an afocal optical subsystem, and wherein the laser light concentrating position adjustment device displaces a laser light concentrating position by changing an angle of emergence of a light beam emerging from the afocal optical subsystem.
3. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the afocal optical subsystem changes the angle of emergence of the emerging light beam by displacing a lens constituting the afocal optical subsystem in a direction of an optical axis of the first optical system.
4. A laser processing method configured to concentrate, when a material is cut, laser light to a light concentrating point at a predetermined depth inside the material from a surface of the material to form an internal processing region, the laser processing method comprising:
providing a first optical system having a laser light concentrating position adjustment device configured to concentrate laser light inside the material to form the internal processing region,
providing a second optical system having an automatic focusing device used to observe the surface of the material,
providing an objective lens shared by the first optical system and the second optical system and configured to face the surface of the material, and
performing laser light concentrating position adjustment by the laser light concentrating position adjustment device and automatic focusing adjustment by the automatic focusing adjustment device independent of each other.
5. The laser processing method according to claim 4, wherein the laser light concentrating position adjustment device includes an afocal optical subsystem, and wherein the laser light concentrating position adjustment device displaces a laser light concentrating position by changing an angle of emergence of a light beam emerging from the afocal optical subsystem.
6. The laser processing method according to claim 5, wherein the afocal optical subsystem changes the angle of emergence of the emerging light beam by displacing a lens constituting the afocal optical subsystem in a direction of an optical axis of the first optical system.
7. A material dicing and observation method comprising:
focusing a laser into a material to be diced at a first depth, wherein the focusing creates a first processing region at the first depth;
moving the laser relative to the material along first reference line creating a line of first processing regions at the first depth along the first reference line direction;
adjusting the depth of focus to second depth and repeating the moving step for the second depth; and
viewing the surface of the material during the focusing, moving and adjusting steps, wherein the viewing step uses at least one of the same lens used in the focusing step.
8. The material dicing and observation method according to claim 7, wherein the moving step for the second depth is along a direction opposite to the direction used for the moving step for the first depth.
9. The material dicing and observation method according to claim 7, wherein the moving steps are repeated for various depths until a final processing region is within a chosen distance from the surface of the material.
10. The material dicing and observation method according to claim 9, wherein the steps of claim 9 are repeated for a second reference line.
11. The material dicing and observation method according to claim 10, wherein the processing regions form localized cracks.
12. The material dicing and observation method according to claim 11, further including:
flexing the material so that the cracks propagate along the material breaking the material into parts, wherein the part’s edges are loosely associated with the locations of the processing regions.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method comprising:
a) initiating a firmware modification of a computer system;
b) inhibiting at least one pre-determined operational state; and
c) proceeding with the firmware modification.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein b) comprises setting an inhibit flag representing at least one prohibited pre-determined operational state.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the inhibit flag is stored within a same nonvolatile memory storing the firmware.
4. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
d) receiving a request for the at least one pre-determined operational state; and
e) denying the request if the inhibit flag is set.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein b) comprises identifying at least one prohibited pre-determined operational state to an operating system of the computer system.
6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
d) booting the computer system; and
e) enabling the at least one pre-determined operational state.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein d) comprises performing a power-up boot.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the power-up boot does not include removal and re-application of power to the computer system.
9. The method of claim 6 wherein e) comprises clearing an inhibit flag representing at least one prohibited pre-determined operational state.
10. A method comprising:
a) initiating a firmware modification of a computer system;
b) eliminating at least one prohibited pre-determined operational state from a table of operating system selectable operational states; and
c) proceeding with the firmware modification.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein b) comprises modifying a power management table stored in a system memory of the computer system.
12. A method comprising:
a) initiating a firmware modification of a computer system;
b) setting an inhibit flag representing at least one prohibited pre-determined operational state;
c) eliminating the at least one prohibited pre-determined operational state from a table of operating system selectable operational states; and
d) proceeding with modification of the firmware.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the inhibit flag is stored within a same nonvolatile memory storing the firmware.
14. The method of claim 12 wherein c) comprises modifying a power management table stored in a system memory of the computer system.
15. The method of claim 12 further comprising:
e) receiving a request for the at least one pre-determined operational state; and
f) denying the request if the inhibit flag is set.
16. The method of claim 12 further comprising:
e) booting the computer system; and
f) clearing the inhibit flag.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein e) includes performing a power-up boot.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein the power-up boot does not include removal and re-application of power to the computer system.
19. A method of modifying a computer system firmware comprising:
a) initiating a firmware modification of a computer system;
b) receiving a request to enter a pre-determined operational state; and
c) complying with the request if and only if the pre-determined operational state is not prohibited due to a firmware modification.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein an inhibit flag is set to identify prohibited pre-determined operational states.
21. The method of claim 20 wherein the inhibit flag is located within a same physical memory storing the firmware.
22. The method of claim 19 wherein a prohibited pre-determined operational state is any state which preserves at least one of the following in whole or part for subsequent restoration: a processor context, a processor cache, and a system memory.