A method and structure permit the precision alignment in the packaging of optical components (10), such as lasers, detectors, lenses and waveguides. The technique involves capacitance measurements of an array of plates placed on the optoelectronic device chip and its package substrate (12). The technique uses phase sensitive detection to sense the total current capacitively coupled into a passive plate (14) on the device chip (10) from two overlapping plates (16, 18) located on the package substrate. When the device chip (10) is properly aligned with respect to the package substrate (12), the summed current sensed with a third overlapping plate (22) on the package substrate is a null.