a laser system comprising a laser, a beam expander, a beam homogenizer, and an optical beamlet generator, wherein said beam expander is configured to expand a beam radius of the laser, wherein said optical beamlet generator is configured to output a plurality of beamlets from a laser beam, the optical beamlet generator is configured to receive the laser beam from the beam homogenizer; and

a scanner configured to simultaneously direct said plurality of beamlets from said optical beamlet generator toward a substrate and to simultaneously move said plurality of beamlets relative to the substrate in a first dimension and second dimension that are orthogonal to one another, wherein each beamlet of said plurality of beamlets simultaneously produces a two-dimensional perforation on a surface of the substrate by operation of said scanner, and wherein an optical path extends from said laser to the substrate, the laser impacting a surface the substrate in a plurality of row sets that extend in the first dimension wherein each row within a row set of the plurality of row sets is spaced from each other row within the row set a first distance in the second dimension, wherein each row in the row set is adjacent another row within the row set, and wherein each row set within the plurality of row sets is spaced from each other row set of the plurality of row sets a second distance in the second dimension, the second distance being greater than the first distance;

wherein the scanner comprises a first movable mirror and a second movable mirror, the second movable mirror is located between the first movable mirror and the substrate along said optical path;

wherein the beam expander is located between said laser and said optical beamlet generator proceeding along said optical path;

the beam homogenizer is located between said beam expander and said optical beamlet generator proceeding along said optical path; and

said optical beamlet generator is located between said beam homogenizer and said scanner proceeding along said optical path.