Method of attaching integrated circuits to a carrier

1. A method of assembling a pagewidth inkjet printhead, said method comprising the steps of:

scanning a wafer having a number of printhead integrated circuit dies formed thereon to demarcate respective dies;

aligning a die picker with a dice on the wafer according to a wafer substrate mapping scheme;

removing the dice from the wafer with the die picker;

transporting the dice to a placement station operatively positioning an ink distribution assembly;

aligning the dice with the ink distribution assembly, such that a predetermined number of printhead integrated circuits are positioned across the ink distribution assembly to form the pagewidth inkjet printhead; and

heat bonding the dice to the ink distribution assembly,

wherein the ink distribution assembly defines a plurality of discrete tortuous ink paths for ducting ink to the printhead integrated circuits.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of scanning includes scanning the wafer with a camera arrangement to identify fiducial marks on the wafer.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of removing the dice includes heating the wafer and applying a vacuum to the respective dice targeted for removal with the die picker.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of transporting the dice includes depositing the dice onto a shuttle assembly of an assembler displaceable between a receiving position where the dice is received and a delivery position in which the dice is delivered to a placement assembly.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of aligning the dice with the ink manifold includes scanning the dice and the ink distribution assembly with a camera arrangement to identify fiducial markings on both said dice and the ink distribution assembly, and displacing the dice relative to the ink distribution assembly until the fiducial markings on the dice is in a predetermined position relative to the fiducial markings of the ink distribution assembly.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the step of identifying the fiducial markings includes examining the ink distribution assembly with a camera having a focusing lens arrangement to identify microscopic apertures in a surface of the ink distribution assembly, said apertures identified as the fiducial markings.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the respective steps are performed by a controller of an assembler having a wafer positioning assembly, a dice picking assembly, a dice conveyance mechanism, and a dice placement assembly for implementing such steps according to a set of instructions included in a software product.