Double-heterostructure semiconductor laser with mesa stripe waveguide.

摘要

Disclosed herein is a double-heterostructure semiconductor laser (10) which emits a laser beam in a visible light range at ambient temperature. An active layer (20) serving as a light emission layer is sandwiched between first and second cladding layers (18, 26). The first and second cladding layer (18) comprises an n type InA l P, while the second cladding layer (26) comprises a p type InA l P and has a mesa stripe shape having slanted side surfaces (26a, 26b) so as to define a light waveguide channel of the semiconductor laser. Current-blocking layers (34-1, 34-2) are formed to cover the slanted side surfaces (26a, 26b) of the second cladding layer (26). The current-blocking layers (34-1), 34-2) comprise GaAs which is a III-V group compound semiconductor different from the III-V group compound semiconductor (i.e., InA l P) comprising in the second cladding layer (26). The composition ratio of aluminum in the second cladding layer (26) is set not to be less than 0.4, whereby a Shottky barrier serving to inhibit or suppress a current leak in the light waveguide channel of the semiconductor laser (10) is formed between the second cladding layer (26) and the current-blocking layers (34-1, 34-2).