The rest of the growth process may proceed as for a conventional LED wafer. The p-type layer 208 may have a thickness different from the optimum p-type layer thickness in a conventional LED wafer. In an LED with a reflecting p-electrode, the thickness of the p-type layer 208 may be adjusted to optimize the optical polarization state and internal radiation pattern of the EL emission for a particular purpose. The thickness that maximizes internal conversion of EL to PL as described herein may be different from the thickness that maximizes the light output from a conventional LED.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a cross-section view illustrating a green LED with an epitaxial reflector 304 is shown. Additional epitaxial layers may be grown for the purpose of selectively reflecting shorter wavelength light in a direction away from the substrate 202.

A first epitaxial layer 302 may be formed on the substrate 202 using one or more of the epitaxial growth techniques described above. A nucleation layer (not shown) may be formed on the substrate 202 prior to the formation of the first epitaxial layer 302. The nucleation layer may comprise GaN or AlN. The first epitaxial layer 302 may comprise any Group III-V semiconductors, including binary, ternary, and quaternary alloys of gallium, aluminum, indium, and nitrogen, also referred to as III-nitride materials. In an example, the first epitaxial layer 302 may comprise GaN. The first epitaxial layer 302 may be doped with n-type dopants, such as Si or Ge.

The epitaxial reflector 304 may be formed on the first epitaxial layer 302. The epitaxial reflector 304 may be formed using the conventional epitaxial techniques described above.