Method and apparatus for aligning an illumination unit to a slider for a magnetic recording device

Abstract

An alignment method for bonding a first component to a second component is described. A plurality of sliders having alignment markers are substantially aligned to the alignment markers of a plurality of illumination units and then positioned into alignment by moving the slider with respect to the illumination unit by an offset. The offset is calculated by scanning a light source around the waveguide to determine the distance that the alignment markers of the slider are separated from the alignment markers on the illumination unit.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for aligning a slider to an illumination unit comprising:
 an active alignment apparatus for substantially aligning a slider to an initial alignment position relative to the illumination unit, wherein the active alignment apparatus includes a light source, a detector, and a measurement station, and wherein the light source irradiates a reference slider while the detector evaluates light emitted from a bottom surface of the reference slider to determine a position of optical alignment;
 a measurement station that periodically measures an offset corresponding to the distance from the initial alignment position to the optical alignment position of a reference slider; 
 a passive alignment apparatus that includes a bonding station for attaching a plurality of sliders to a plurality of illumination units, and a testing station that periodically checks for misalignment of sliders and illumination units by measuring the amount of light coupled into the waveguide of the slider after being bonded to the illumination unit. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the light source is part of the illumination unit. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the illumination unit is not part of the light source.