Optical devices such as LEDs and lasers are discloses. The devices include a non-polar gallium nitride substrate member having an off-axis non-polar oriented crystalline surface plane. The off-axis non-polar oriented crystalline surface plane can be up to about −0.6 degrees in a c-plane direction and up to about −20 degrees in a c-plane direction in certain embodiments. In certain embodiments, a gallium nitride containing epitaxial layer is formed overlying the off-axis non-polar oriented crystalline surface plane. In certain embodiments, devices include a surface region overlying the gallium nitride epitaxial layer that is substantially free of hillocks.