MANUFACTURE OF NITRIDE SEMICONDUCTOR LASER ELEMENT

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a laser beam having the shape of an elliptic poor field pattern by forming resonant surfaces by etching a nitride semiconductor layer on a sapphire substrate having a main surface composed of the C-plane of sapphire and dividing the sapphire substrate between the facing resonant surfaces. SOLUTION: Resonant surfaces are formed on the end faces of an active layer by etching an n-type nitride semiconductor layer 2 on a sapphire substrate 1 having a main surface composed of the C-plane of sapphire so that the resonant surface of one laser element is oppositely faced to that of the other resonant surface. Then the sapphire substrate 1 between the facing resonant surfaces is divided into parts along the A- or M-plane of sapphire. In addition, part of the substrate 1 containing the projecting part from the resonant surface is prevented from interrupting the laser beam emitted from the resonant surface by setting one dividing position near one resonant surface so that the projecting section will not interrupt the laser beam.