A GaN air bridge was fabricated by electrochemical etching and was used as a template for the regrowth of an InGaN quantum well (QW). Raman spectroscopy confirmed that the GaN membrane on the air bridge relieved part of its compressive strain, and its effect on the InGaN growth was studied. A mu-photoluminescence (PL) measurement showed a large blueshift of band-to-band emission for the QW grown on the air bridge. The small residual strain reduced the indium fluctuation during the growth of the InGaN QW and resulted in a low defect density and low activation energy of emission intensity. As a result, the QW grown on the air bridge had a better internal quantum efficiency as measured by temperature-dependent PL. (C) 2010 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3425819] All rights reserved.