Patent ID: 7109051

Claim:
A method for integrating an optical device and an electronic device on a semiconductor substrate, comprising: providing a semiconductor substrate having an active semiconductor layer; forming openings within the active semiconductor layer in a first region of the semiconductor substrate and protecting the active semiconductor layer in a second region of the semiconductor substrate during the formation of openings within the active semiconductor layer in the first region, wherein the first region corresponds to an electronic device portion of the semiconductor substrate and the second region corresponds to an optical device portion of the semiconductor substrate; filling the openings of the active semiconductor layer in the electronic device portion of the semiconductor substrate with a fill material; exposing a portion of the active semiconductor layer in the second region of the semiconductor substrate and protecting the first region of the semiconductor substrate during the exposing of the active semiconductor layer in the second region; epitaxially growing a semiconductor layer overlying the exposed active semiconductor layer in the second region, the epitaxially grown semiconductor layer corresponding to an optical device region; forming at least a portion of an electronic device on the active semiconductor layer within the electronic device portion of the semiconductor substrate; forming openings within the epitaxially grown semiconductor layer of the optical device portion of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the openings define one or more features of an optical device; and forming a further portion of the electronic device within the electronic device portion of the semiconductor substrate.