Patent ID: 7671375

Claim:
A light-emitting diode comprising: (a) a substrate of p-type silicon having sufficient conductivity to provide part of a current path through the light-emitting diode, the substrate having a pair of opposite major surfaces; (b) an n-type nitride semiconductor region formed on one of the major surfaces of the substrate, the n-type nitride semiconductor region containing at least one Group III element; (c) a main semiconductor region formed on the n-type nitride semiconductor region, the main semiconductor region comprising an active layer and a p-type nitride semiconductor layer formed thereon; (d) an anode electrode electrically connected to the p-type nitride semiconductor layer of the main semiconductor region; (e) a cathode electrode formed on the other of the pair of opposite major surfaces of the substrate; and (f) there being a region in the substrate in which the Group III element is diffused from the n-type nitride semiconductor region, the diffused Group III element region being a p-type, wherein the diffused Group III element region is formed in the substrate so as to permit current flow from the n-type nitride semiconductor region to the p-type silicon substrate.