Commercially available CdSe/ZnS and PbSe colloidal semiconductor quantum dots were employed to produce both an electron beam sensitive poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-quantum-dot (QD) positive composite via a prepolymerization processing and an electron beam and ultraviolet (UV) light sensitive SU-8-QD negative composite via a direct dispersion procedure. Compared to the QDs in the original colloidal solutions, the photoluminescence of the composites shifts to shorter wavelength due to the oxidation of the surfaces of the QDs. Using the QD composites, optical integrated circuits such as grating and waveguide structures were fabricated by direct electron beam writing and UV optical lithography. The characterization results show promising applications in optoelectronics for the QD composites. 0 2005 American Vacuum Society.