Patent ID: 8093605

Claim:
A gallium nitride-based compound semiconductor light-emitting device comprising an n-type semiconductor layer, a light-emitting layer and a p-type semiconductor layer of gallium nitride-based compound semiconductors which are formed in this order on a substrate, a negative electrode and a positive electrode being provided in contact with the n-type semiconductor layer and the p-type semiconductor layer, respectively, wherein the positive electrode comprises at least a first electrode having a side surface and an over-coating layer having a side surface and covering side surfaces and an upper surface of the first electrode, and an area where the over-coating layer comes into contact with the p-type semiconductor layer is greater at corner portions of the positive electrode than at side portions thereof, per unit length of an outer edge of the first electrode, wherein an angle of corner portions in a plane projected shape of the first electrode or of the over-coating layer is selected to be an obtuse angle, or corner portions in a plane projected shape of the first electrode or of the over-coating layer are formed in an arcuate shape, so that the area where the over-coating layer comes into contact with the p-type semiconductor layer becomes greater at the corner portions of the positive electrode than at the side portions thereof.