An improved method and apparatus for drilling vias in electronic substrates with laser pulses is presented which uses one or more tailored pulses to reduce debris remaining in the via while maintaining system throughput and avoiding damage to the substrate. A tailored pulse is a laser pulse that features a power spike having a peak power 10% higher than the average power of the pulse and lasting less than 50% of the duration of the pulse. Methods and apparatuses for creating tailored pulses by slicing longer duration pulses are shown.