A method of dicing a semiconductor wafer comprises scribing at least one dielectric layer along dice lanes to remove material from a surface of the wafer using a laser with a pulse-width between 1 picosecond and 1000 picoseconds and with a repetition frequency corresponding to times between pulses shorter than a thermal relaxation time of the material to be scribed. The wafer is then diced through a metal layer and at least partially through a substrate of the semiconductor wafer.