A semiconductor optical element includes: a first conductivity type semiconductor substrate; and a laminated body disposed on the first conductivity type semiconductor substrate. The laminated body includes, in the following order from a side of the first conductivity type semiconductor substrate: a first conductivity type semiconductor layer; an active layer; a second conductivity type semiconductor layer; and a second conductivity type contact layer. The second conductivity type semiconductor layer includes: a carbon-doped semiconductor layer in which carbon is doped as a dopant in a compound semiconductor; and a group 2 element-doped semiconductor layer in which a group 2 element is doped as a dopant in a compound semiconductor. The carbon-doped semiconductor layer is disposed at a position closer to the active layer than the group 2 element-doped semiconductor layer.

A semiconductor optical element includes: a first conductivity type semiconductor substrate; and a laminated body disposed on the first conductivity type semiconductor substrate. The laminated body includes, in the following order from a side of the first conductivity type semiconductor substrate: a first conductivity type semiconductor layer; an active layer; a second conductivity type semiconductor layer; and a second conductivity type contact layer. The second conductivity type semiconductor layer includes: a carbon-doped semiconductor layer in which carbon is doped as a dopant in a compound semiconductor; and a group 2 element-doped semiconductor layer in which a group 2 element is doped as a dopant in a compound semiconductor. The carbon-doped semiconductor layer is disposed at a position closer to the active layer than the group 2 element-doped semiconductor layer.

An edge emitting laser (EEL) device includes a substrate, an n-type buffer layer, a first n-type cladding layer, a grating layer, a spacer layer, a lower confinement unit, an active layer, an upper confinement unit, a p-type cladding layer, a tunnel junction layer and a second n-type cladding layer sequentially arranged from bottom to top. The tunnel junction layer can stop an etching process from continuing to form the second n-type cladding layer into a predetermined ridge structure and converting a part of the p-type cladding layer into the n-type cladding layer to reduce series resistance of the EEL device. Therefore, the optical field and active layer tend to be coupled at the middle of the active layer, the lower half of the active layer can be utilized effectively, and the optical field is near to the grating layer to achieve better optical field/grating coupling efficiency and lower threshold current.

A semiconductor laser element includes an n-side semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a p-side semiconductor layer. A least a portion of the p-side semiconductor layer forms a ridge projecting upward. The p-side semiconductor layer includes an undoped first part, an electron barrier layer containing a p-type impurity and having a larger band gap energy than the first part, and a second part having at least one p-type semiconductor layer. The first part includes an undoped p-side composition graded layer in which a band gap energy increases towards the electron barrier layer, and an undoped p-side intermediate layer disposed on or above the p-side composition graded layer. A lower end of the ridge is positioned at the p-side intermediate layer.

A light emitting device includes a substrate, a buffer layer, a first active layer, and a plurality of mesa regions. A portion of the first active layer includes a first electrical polarity. The plurality of mesa regions includes at least a portion of the first active layer, a light emitting region on the portion of the first active layer, and a second active layer on the light emitting region. A portion of the second active layer includes a second electrical polarity. The light emitting region is configured to emit light which has a target wavelength between 200 nm to 300 nm. A thickness of the light emitting region is a multiple of the target wavelength, and a dimension of the light emitting region parallel to the substrate is smaller than 10 times the target wavelength, such that the emitted light is confined to fewer than 10 transverse modes.

A light-emission device includes: a first light emitting element chip; a second light emitting element chip having a light output higher than a light output of the first light emitting element chip, the second light emitting element chip being configured to be driven independently from the first light emitting element chip and arranged side by side with the first light emitting element chip; and a light diffusion member including a first region provided on an emission path of the first light emitting element chip and a second region provided on an emission path of the second light emitting element chip, and having a diffusion angle at the second region larger than a diffusion angle at the first region.

This invention opens up the chip thickness for increasing VCSEL power. It describes a method by using multiple gain layers 10, separated by insulating layers 11, powered in parallel electrically through embedded electrodes 13, 14 connected through via holes. The gain layers, as a whole, are bounded on top and bottom by DBR mirrors 12. The structure, compared to a standard VCSEL, leads to higher power, lower resistive loss, higher device speed, higher beam quality, and fewer number of DBR layers.

A semiconductor laser element includes: an n-type cladding layer disposed above an n-type semiconductor substrate (a chip-like substrate); an active layer disposed above the n-type cladding layer; and a p-type cladding layer disposed above the active layer, in which the active layer includes a well layer and a barrier layer, an energy band gap of the barrier layer is larger than an energy band gap of the n-type cladding layer, and a refractive index of the barrier layer is higher than a refractive index of the n-type cladding layer.

An edge-emitting semiconductor laser and a method for operating a semiconductor laser are disclosed. The edge-emitting semiconductor laser includes an active zone within a semiconductor layer sequence and a stress layer. The active zone is configured for being energized only in a longitudinal strip perpendicular to a growth direction of the semiconductor layer sequence. The semiconductor layer sequence has a constant thickness throughout in the region of the longitudinal strip so that the semiconductor laser is gain-guided. The stress layer may locally stress the semiconductor layer sequence in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal strip and in a direction perpendicular to the growth direction. A refractive index of the semiconductor layer sequence, in regions which, seen in plan view, are located next to the longitudinal strip, for the laser radiation generated during operation is reduced by at least 210.sup.4 and by at most 510.sup.3.

Provided is a semiconductor laser diode, including a GaAs/In P substrate and a multi-layer structure on the GaAs/InP substrate. The multi-layer structure includes a lower epitaxial region, an active region and an upper epitaxial region. The active region comprises a first active layer, an epitaxial region and a second active layer, the epitaxial region is disposed between the first active layer and the second active layer, the first active layer comprises one or more quantum well structures or one or more quantum dot structures, and the second active layer comprises one or more quantum well structures or one or more quantum dot structures. the epitaxial region further comprises a tunnel junction and at least one carrier confinement layer, at least one carrier confinement layer is disposed between the tunnel junction and the first active layer or between the tunnel junction and the second active layer such that the at least one carrier confinement layer blocks electrons or holes, and no electrons or holes are able to reach the tunnel junction.