Lucent Technologies Inc.

American Telephone & Telegraph Co., At&t Bell Laboratories

American Telephone and Telegraph, Co.

Laurence Shrapnell Watkins

George T Harvey

Hung N Nguyen

A method and apparatus aligns device components based on an analysis of an image of features of the components to be aligned. The image is analyzed for deviation in component alignment, and a signal, based on the deviation, is sent to a positioning apparatus to adjust the position of the components relative to each other. The image of the components is advantageously a top view which permits measuring deviations in alignment of features on the top surfaces of components. The components are advantageously bonded together after alignment, and the alignment accuracy of the bonded components is checked.

Method and apparatus for alignment and bonding

Photomasks (11, 12) are aligned on opposite sides of a wafer by directing light beams through zone plates (13 A-C) in one photomask and through aligned transparent slits (14 A-C) on the other photomask. Simulantaneous detection of the beams by photodetectors (18 A-C) indicates alignment. A method for obtaining precise centering by scanning the slits with the beams, sampling light transmitted through the slits, and fitting the samples to a parabola by the use of a computer (27) is also described.

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Pennington, NJ, United States of America

Laurence Shrapnell Watkins