A semiconductor lighting device includes at least one semiconductor light emitter and at least one wavelength converting element, physically separated from the light emitter. At least one wavelength converting element has a reflective member underneath it, so that both primary light and converted light from the wavelength converting layer become a forward transferred light preventing from backscattering loss into the light emitter. The reflective member may be a thermal conductive element to effectively remove the heat from the wavelength converting element. Accordingly, the remote wavelength conversion on a reflective surface improves the thermal stability of the wavelength conversion material and prevents backscattering loss to produce a higher radiance result from the device.