Enhancement of light output intensity for GaN-based vertical light-emitting diodes (LEDs), combining wafer bonding and the laser lift-off (LLO) process, employing an omnidirectional extraction surface with synthesized single-crystal ZnO nanorod arrays in aqueous solution at room temperature is presented. The light output intensity and wall-plug efficiency of the GaN-based LLO vertical LED with the omnidirectional extraction surface by ZnO nanorod arrays shows 38.9 and 41.2% increases, respectively, at 200 mA current injections compared to that of a vertical LED without ZnO nanorod arrays. The ZnO nanorod arrays not only support a current spreading layer but enhance the probability of photon escape through the omnidirectional extraction surface. (C) 2008 The Electrochemical Society.