A surface-emitting semiconductor laser includes a semiconductor laminated structure that includes a first-conductivity-type layer, an active layer, and a second-conductivity-type layer and in which light generated in the active layer is extracted as laser light from a side of the second-conductivity-type layer while resonating along a lamination direction of these layers, a current constriction layer in which the active layer and the second-conductivity-type layer are electrically connected together through an opening, an insulating layer that has translucency with respect to an emission wavelength of the active layer, a first electrode electrically connected to the first-conductivity-type layer, and a second electrode electrically connected to the second-conductivity-type layer, and, in the surface-emitting semiconductor laser, a part of the insulating layer is exposed from the second electrode, and the insulating layer exposed from the second electrode includes a first portion that has a first thickness and a second portion that has a second thickness to make output of light emitted from the active layer smaller than the first portion in comparison with the first thickness and that surrounds the first portion.

A nitride semiconductor light-emitting device having high luminous efficiency is provided. A nitride semiconductor light-emitting device is provided with a nitride semiconductor substrate including a main surface having an off angle of 0.4 or larger with respect to a (0001) plane, a first semiconductor layer formed of an n-type or p-type nitride semiconductor formed on the main surface, a second semiconductor layer formed of a nitride semiconductor having In composition of 2% or higher formed on the first semiconductor layer, an active layer formed on the second semiconductor layer including a well layer formed of a nitride semiconductor having In composition higher than that of the second semiconductor layer and a barrier layer formed of a nitride semiconductor stacked therein, and a third semiconductor layer formed on the active layer having a conductivity type different from that of the first semiconductor layer.

A light source system or apparatus configured with an infrared illumination source includes a gallium and nitrogen containing laser diode based white light source. The light source system includes a first pathway configured to direct directional electromagnetic radiation from the gallium and nitrogen containing laser diode to a first wavelength converter and to output a white light emission. In some embodiments infrared emitting laser diodes are included to generate the infrared illumination. In some embodiments infrared emitting wavelength converter members are included to generate the infrared illumination. In some embodiments a second wavelength converter is optically excited by a UV or blue emitting gallium and nitrogen containing laser diode, a laser diode operating in the long wavelength visible spectrum such as a green laser diode or a red laser diode, by a near infrared emitting laser diode, by the white light emission produced by the first wavelength converter, or by some combination thereof. A beam shaper may be configured to direct the white light emission and an infrared emission for illuminating a target of interest and transmitting a data signal. In some configurations, sensors and feedback loops are included.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing an optical device having a laser diode, which method is suitable for mass production, and an optical device having a laser diode which allows accurate property evaluations thereof with small measurement errors. Specifically, the method includes: an etching process of etching a semiconductor lamination unit to form a mesa structure having a resonator end face, thereby forming a laser diode; and a reflecting layer forming process of forming a light reflecting layer such that the light reflecting layer covers entire side surfaces of the mesa structure, wherein the semiconductor lamination unit has a substate, a n-type clad layer including a nitride semiconductor layer having n-type conductivity, a light-emitting layer including at least one quantum well, and a p-type clad layer including a nitride semiconductor layer having p-type conductivity, laminated in this order.

Optical devices having a structured active region configured for selected wavelengths of light emissions are disclosed.

A method for manufacturing a laser diode device includes providing a substrate having a surface region and forming epitaxial material overlying the surface region, the epitaxial material comprising an n-type cladding region, an active region comprising at least one active layer overlying the n-type cladding region, and a p-type cladding region overlying the active layer region. The epitaxial material is patterned to form a plurality of dice, each of the dice corresponding to at least one laser device, characterized by a first pitch between a pair of dice, the first pitch being less than a design width. Each of the plurality of dice are transferred to a carrier wafer such that each pair of dice is configured with a second pitch between each pair of dice, the second pitch being larger than the first pitch.

The embodiments described herein provide a device and method for an integrated white colored electromagnetic radiation source using a combination of laser diode excitation sources based on gallium and nitrogen containing materials and light emitting source based on phosphor materials. A violet, blue, or other wavelength laser diode source based on gallium and nitrogen materials may be closely integrated with phosphor materials, such as yellow phosphors, to form a compact, high-brightness, and highly-efficient, white light source. The phosphor material is provided with a plurality of scattering centers scribed on an excitation surface or inside bulk of a plate to scatter electromagnetic radiation of a laser beam from the excitation source incident on the excitation surface to enhance generation and quality of an emitted light from the phosphor material for outputting a white light emission either in reflection mode or transmission mode.

A gallium- and nitrogen-containing laser device including an etched facet with surface treatment to improve an optical beam is disclosed.

Optical devices having a structured active region configured for selected wavelengths of light emissions are disclosed.

Optical devices having a structured active region configured for selected wavelengths of light emissions are disclosed.