Patent ID: 7575944

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a nitride-based semiconductor light emitting diode (LED), the method comprising: sequentially forming an n-type nitride semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a p-type nitride semiconductor layer on a substrate; forming a Pd/Zn alloy layer on the p-type nitride semiconductor layer; heat-treating the p-type nitride semiconductor layer on which the Pd/Zn alloy layer is formed; removing the Pd/Zn alloy layer formed on the p-type nitride semiconductor layer; mesa-etching portions of the p-type nitride semiconductor layer, the active layer, and the n-type nitride semiconductor layer such that a portion of the upper surface of the n-type nitride semiconductor layer is exposed; and forming an n-electrode and a p-electrode on the exposed n-type nitride semiconductor layer and the p-type nitride semiconductor layer, respectively.