This paper describes the fabrication and integration of a thin film edge emitting laser (EEL) whose optical output is coupled into a polymer waveguide integrated on the same electrical interconnection substrate. This embedded laser/waveguide structure is a fundamental building block toward the realization of planar lightwave circuits using embedded optical interconnections. The demonstration of a thin film laser embedded with a waveguide eliminates the need for either an external optical source coupled to the waveguide or a bump bonded optical source with a beam turning element to launch an optical wave into the waveguide.