A GaN-based LED structure is provided so that the brightness and luminous efficiency of the GaN-based LED are enhanced effectively. The greatest difference between the GaN-based LEDs according to the invention and the prior arts lies in the addition of a masking buffer layer on top of the p-type
contact layer and a p-type roughened
contact layer on top of the masking buffer layer. The masking buffer layer could be formed using MOCVD to deposit SixNy (x,y≧1), MgwNz (w,z≧1), or AlsIntGa1-s-tN (0≦s,t<1, s+t≦1) heavily doped with Si and / or Mg. The masking buffer layer is actually a
mask containing multiple randomly distributed clusters. Then, on top of the masking buffer layer, a p-type roughened
contact layer made of p-type AluInvGa1-u-vN (0≦u,v<1, u+v≦1) is developed. The p-type roughened contact layer does not grow directly on top of the masking buffer layer. Instead, the p-type roughened contact layer starts from the top surface of the underlying p-type contact layer not covered by the masking buffer layer's clusters. The p-type roughened contact layer then grows upward until it passes (but does not cover) the
mask of the masking buffer layer for a specific distance. The
total internal reflection that could have been resulted from the GaN-based LEDs' higher index of
refraction than that of the
atmosphere could be avoided. The GaN-based LEDs according to the present invention therefore have superior external
quantum efficiency and luminous efficiency.