Patent ID: 7811427

Claim:
An alignment structure for receiving a plurality of components, comprising: a base; a plurality of alignment fixtures attached to the base and having desired positions relative to one another, wherein the base and the alignment fixtures are substantially monolithic, and wherein the alignment fixtures comprise a material deposited on substantially a layer-by-layer basis in their respective relative positions, and wherein the structure comprises at least two conductive paths separated from one another by a dielectric, wherein at least one of the paths meets a criteria selected from the group consisting of: (1) the at least one path forms a connection between at least two electrical contact points on a single component; (2) the at least one path forms a connection between electrical contact points on at least two different components; (3) the at least one path allows an electrical connection to be made from the structure to a separate structure; (4) the structure is adapted to be located in a substantially hermetic package and the at least one path allows an electrical connection to be made from the structure to a separate structure that is external to the package; (5) the at least one path makes an electrical connection to an electrically functional device that was formed along with the structure; and (6) the at least one path comprises a component that modifies an signal selected from the group consisting of RF signals and microwave signals.