Techniques are provided for forming a gallium nitride flip-chip light-emitting diode. In an aspect, a device is provided that includes a gallium nitride layer, a passivation layer, a set of first conductive layers, and a second conductive layer. The gallium nitride layer is formed on a substrate that includes a first plurality of recesses associated with a first structure and a second plurality of recesses associated with a second structure, where the first plurality of recesses and the second plurality of recesses are associated with a first conductive material. The set of first conductive layers is formed on the passivation layer and corresponds to the first conductive material. The second conductive layer is formed on the passivation layer and corresponds to a second conductive material.