Patent ID: 8592242

Claim:
A method of fabricating a light emitting diode (LED) comprising: providing a growth substrate; growing first epitaxial layers on the growth substrate, wherein the first epitaxial layers include an un-doped layer above the growth substrate and an n-doped layer above the un-doped layer; patterning the n-doped layer to form a first region of the n-doped layer and a mesa region of the n-doped layer adjacent to the first region; etching the first region of the n-doped layer to create a roughened surface of the first region of the n-doped layer:, growing additional epitaxial layers on the mesa region of the n-doped layer wherein the additional epitaxial layers include an active layer above the mesa region of the n-doped layer and a p-doped layer above the active layer; and forming metal contacts on the p-doped layer and on the roughened surface of the n-doped layer in the first region; wherein said growing additional epitaxial layers comprises growing the p-doped layer to cap the active layer on both a top surface and an upper portion of lateral sides of the active layer.