Automated array assembly: A high throughput, low cost assembly process for LIGA-fabricated micro-components

The development of a viable LIGA-based micro-manufacturing capability requires the assembly of discrete micro-components into more complex devices. The size and tolerances of micro-components preclude the direct use of traditional macroscopic assembly process to micro-device manufacturing. Instead specific micro-assembly technologies must be developed and validated for producing complex micro-systems. Automated array assembly, a high throughput, low cost approach to micro-assembly, uses specialized fixtures allowing an array of micro-components to be picked-up and inserted into a corresponding array of devices using automated and highly accurate positioning stages. Assembly rates are measured here for insertion assembly experiments using automated array assembly and these rates compared with manual assembly rates. These results show that the automated array approach can assemble micro-components with rates at least an order of magnitude greater than manual assembly rates.