A light emitting diode is disclosed. The diode includes a silicon carbide substrate (21) having a first conductivity type, a first gallium nitride layer (25) above the SiC substrate having the same conductivity type as the substrate, a superlattice on the GaN layer (27) formed of a plurality of repeating sets of alternating layers selected from among GaN, InGaN, and AlInGaN, a second GaN layer (30) on the superlattice having the same conductivity type as the first GaN layer, a multiple quantum well (31) on the second GaN layer, a third GaN layer on the multiple quantum well, a contact structure on the third GaN layer (32) having the opposite conductivity type from the substrate and the first GaN layer, an ohmic contact to the SiC substrate, and an ohmic contact to the contact structure.