The present invention comprises a light emitting diode formed in silicon carbide and that emits visible light having a wavelength of between about 475-480 nanometers, or between about 455-460 nanometers, or between about 424-428 nanometers. The diode comprises a substrate of alpha silicon carbide having a first conductivity type and a first epitaxial layer of alpha silicon carbide upon the substrate having the same conductivity type as the substrate. A second epitaxial layer of alpha silicon carbide is upon the first epitaxial layer, has the opposite conductivity type from the first layer, and forms a p-n junction with the first epitaxial layer. In preferred embodiments, the first and second epitaxial layers have carrier concentrations sufficiently different from one another so that the amount of hole current and electron current that flow across the junction under biased conditions are different from one another and so that the majority of recombination events take place in the desired epitaxial layer.