The invention relates to the field of micro- and nanotechnologies. In
these techniques, it is sometimes necessary to glue several structures
face to face and it is important to be able to check the alignment of the
structures. A new method for measuring alignment, which comprises the
following operations, is proposed for this purpose: activation of a
heating element placed on the surface of the first structure, generation
of electronic signals representative of a distribution of temperatures,
on the basis of an array of temperature sensitive elements placed on the
surface of the second structure, determination of a relative position of
the heating element with respect to the array of sensitive elements,
therefore of the first structure with respect to the second, on the basis
of the distribution of temperatures, in a calculation circuit receiving
the electronic signals engendered in the array of sensitive elements.