Abstract
By focussing a CW laser on the surface of an integrated circuit, the temperature can be locally increased if the laser wavelength is adsorbed by the silicon of the circuit [1]. This is the case when using visible or UV wavelengths. When turning on the laser beam power, the laser induced temperature increases and reaches an equilibrium temperature in less than a tenth of a microsecond for a one micron laser spot diameter [2]. The equilibrium temperature strongly depends on the optical and thermal properties of the irradiated area and is lower when irradiating a metal, which has high lateral heat losses and high reflectivity, than a semiconductor, which has low thermal conductivity and low reflectivity.