Apparatus and method for assembling optical devices

The invention generally relates to optical devices and their fabrication, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for precisely controlling the angular relationship between optical elements and a substrate plane within an optical device. A method and apparatus for mounting optical elements onto an optical device are described. A mounting structure is produced out of a carrier substrate. The mounting structure includes one or more walls defining a well and surrounding a plurality of protrusions. The well defined by the walls is filled with an adhesive material system, such as epoxy. An optical device is lowered into contact with the epoxy, and then into contact with the protrusions. The displaced epoxy is displaced through one or more conduits into one or more reservoirs. A plurality of such mounting structures enables one to align a plurality of optical elements together in a single plane.