The present disclosure relates generally to semiconductor techniques. More specifically, embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods for efficiently dicing substrates containing gallium and nitrogen material. Additionally the present disclosure provide techniques resulting in a optical device comprising a substrate having three or more corners, where at least one of the corners is defined by a dislocation bundle characterized by a diameter of less than 100 microns, the gallium and nitrogen containing substrate having a predefined portion free from dislocation bundle centers, an active region containing one or more active layers, the active region being positioned within the predefined region; and a conductive region formed within the predefined region.