To display with a complicated process, such as the formation of contact holes, without performing some processing on a substrate by a method wherein an electrode is formed on a semiconductor layer consisting of a specified gallium nitride compound semiconductor layer and a low-resistance region, where is continued to this electrode, is formed by diffusing the material for this electrode in the semiconductor layer.

A semiconductor light-emitting device comprises a semiconductor layer consisting of a gallium nitride compound semiconductor (AlxGa1-xN; 0≤x<1) layer and is manufactured by a method, wherein a buffer layer 32 is formed on a sapphire substrate 30, an N layer 34 consisting of an N-type GaN later is formed on the upper surface of the layer 32, an I layer 36 consisting of a semi-insulative GaN layer is formed on the upper surface of the layer 34, an I side metallic electrode 42, which is connected with the layer 36, and an N side metallic electrode 40, which is connected with the layer 34, are formed on the upper surface of the layer 36 in a state that they are spaced from each other and a low-resistance region 38, where is continued to the electrode 40, is formed by diffusing the material for this electrode 40 in the semiconductor layer. Thereby, a complicated process can be dispensed with without performing some processing on the substrate 30.