Light emitting devices and substrates are provided with improved plating. In one embodiment, a light emitting device can include a submount and one or more light emitting diodes (LED) chips disposed over the submount. In one embodiment, the submount can include a copper (Cu) substrate, a first metallic layer of material that is highly reflective disposed over the Cu substrate for increased brightness of the device, and a second metallic layer disposed between the Cu substrate and the first metallic layer for forming a barrier therebetween.