Flexible optoelectronic circuit and associated method

A flexible optoelectronic circuit is assembled on and released from a substrate, and therefore independent of a substrate. The substrate includes semiconductor substrates having a release layer. The release layer is etched to release the optoelectronic circuit such that the resulting circuit is flexible. Both optical elements, such as waveguides, and conductive elements are formed in layers, generally between insulating layers. The elements may be formed and patterned using standard semiconductor manufacturing techniques.