Thin and thick fully relaxed In0.65Ga0.35As layers have been grown on InP substrates (0.81% misfit), with high structural and high optoelectronic quality at an operating wavelength of similar to 2.0 mu m. Full relaxation is achieved, using the paramorphic approach, by growing the In0.65Ga0.35As layers lattice matched to an InAs0.25P0.75 seed membrane of predetermined lattice parameter. The InAs0.25P0.75 layer was originally grown pseudomorphically strained on the InP substrate before being separated and elastically relaxed using surface micromachining. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)03049-1].