GaN containing optical devices and method with ESD stability

1. An optical device comprising:

a gallium nitride substrate structure, the gallium nitride substrate structure including a surface region;

an epitaxial layer overlying the surface region;

a p-n junction formed within a portion of the epitaxial layer;

one or more plane or line defects spatially configured in a manner to be intersecting one or more spatial portions of the p-n junction, the one or more plane or line defects being characterized by a spatial density of less than 1×10 4 cm −2 ; and

an electrostatic discharge voltage rating of at least 7 kvolts;

wherein the surface region is characterized by an m-plane that is angled ranging from about 80 degrees to about 100 degrees from the polar orientation of the c plane toward an (h k l) plane wherein l is 0 and at least one of h and k is non-zero.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the gallium nitride substrate structure has an area of at least 4 square millimeters.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the surface region is characterized as an m-plane.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the gallium nitride substrate structure comprises an n-type impurity characteristic.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the epitaxial layer comprises an n-type type characteristic and an p-type characteristic.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the epitaxial layer comprises an n-type gallium nitride containing material, an overlying InGaN layer, and an overlying p-type gallium nitride containing material.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the optical device is a light emitting diode.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the optical device is a laser device.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the p-n junction comprises a p-i-n junction.