GaN LED with solderable backside metal

The present invention relates to the lighting arts. It is particularly applicable to the fabrication of high-brightness gallium nitride (GaN) based light emitting diodes (LEDs) and LED arrays, and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, the invention also finds application in connection with other types of LEDs and in other LED applications. A light-emitting element () is disclosed. A light emitting diode (LED) includes a sapphire substrate () having front and back sides (), and a plurality of semiconductor layers () deposited on the front side () of the sapphire substrate (). The semiconductor layers () define a light-emitting structure that emits light responsive to an electrical input. A metallization stack () includes an adhesion layer () deposited on the back side () of the sapphire substrate (), and a solderable layer () connected to the adhesion layer () such that the solderable layer () is secured to the sapphire substrate () by the adhesion layer (). A support structure () is provided on which the LED is disposed. A solder bond () is arranged between the LED and the support structure (). The solder bond () secures the LED to the support structure ().