Patent ID: 7700387

Claim:
A method for creating a photonic device comprising the steps of: a) selecting a base structure; b) forming an optical structure on the base structure; c) forming a coherent photonic emitter device on the optical structure; d) depositing at least one metal contact on the photonic emitter device; e) creating at least one facet having a first surface on the coherent photonic emitter structure, optical structure and base structure, wherein the facet and an output trench are created simultaneously by etching at least one trench and facet into the base structure; f) depositing a first sacrificial spacer layer along the horizontal and vertical trench surfaces and a user-definable portion of the optical structure; g) depositing an intermediate layer on the sacrificial spacer layer; h) returning to steps (f) and (g) if additional sacrificial spacer layers are desired, otherwise proceeding to step (i); i) depositing a mask layer over the sacrificial spacer layers and intermediate layers deposited in steps (f), (g) and (h); j) defining openings in the mask layer beside the facets adjacent to each end of a trench; k) etching holes in the sacrificial spacer and intermediate layers beneath the openings in the mask layer; and l) removing a user-definable portion of each sacrificial spacer layer.