The present disclosure involves an apparatus. The apparatus includes a substrate having a front side a back side opposite the front side. The substrate includes a plurality of openings formed from the back side of the substrate. The openings collectively define a pattern on the back side of the substrate from a planar view. In some embodiments, the substrate is a silicon substrate or a silicon carbide substrate. Portions of the silicon substrate vertically aligned with the openings have vertical dimensions that vary from about 100 microns to about 300 microns. A III-V group compound layer is formed over the front side of the silicon substrate. The III-V group compound layer is a component of one of: a light-emitting diode (LED), a laser diode (LD), and a high-electron mobility transistor (HEMT).