A set (50) of one or more laser pulses (52) is employed to remove passivation layer (44) over a conductive link (22). The link (22) can subsequently be removed by a different process such as chemical etching. The duration of the set (50) is preferably shorter than 1,000 ns; and the pulse width of each laser pulse (52) within the set (50) is preferably within a range of about 0.05 ps to 30 ns. The set (50) can be treated as a single “pulse” by conventional laser positioning systems (62) to perform on-the-fly material removal without stopping whenever the laser system (60) fires a set (50) of laser pulses (52) at each target area (51). Conventional wavelengths in the IR range or their harmonics in the green or UV range can be employed.