Semiconductor laser

摘要

A semiconductor laser includes a ridge structure includes a cladding layer having a thermal expansion coefficient. Current blocking structures are disposed at both sides of the ridge structure and include AlxGa1-xAs first current blocking layers having an Al composition x larger than 0.7 and contacting the ridge structure. In this structure, even when the Al composition of the first current blocking layers is reduced at both sides of the ridge structure, the wavelength of light absorbed by the first current blocking layers does not exceed the wavelength of laser light produced in the active layer. Therefore, unwanted absorption of the laser light at both sides of the ridge structure is avoided, resulting in a semiconductor laser with improved laser characteristics.