Patent ID: 8222064

Claim:
A method of fabricating a plurality of compound semiconductor vertical light emitting diode dies including compound semiconductor epitaxial layers with one or more layers of nitride-based compound semiconductor material, and bonding a new host substrate to the compound semiconductor vertical light emitting diode, the method comprising: providing a first growth substrate capable of supporting compound semiconductor epitaxial growth thereon; forming one or more epitaxial layers of compound semiconductor material on the first growth substrate; creating one or more trenches in at least a portion of the compound semiconductor material; depositing a passivating material in one or more trenches; depositing a hard material at least partially in the one or more trenches, the hard material having a hardness greater than the hardness of the compound semiconductor material; depositing a highly thermally conductive metal layer over the compound semiconductor material; planarizing the deposited metal layer to form a substantially flat metal layer for subsequent new host substrate bonding; bonding the new host substrate to the metal layer, the new host substrate being highly thermally conductive; and removing the first growth substrate.