A corrected mesa structure for a VCSEL device is particularly configured to compensate for variations in the shape of the created oxide aperture that result from anisotropic oxidation. In particular, a corrected mesa shape is derived by determining the shape of an as-created aperture formed by oxidizing a circular mesa structure, and then ascertaining the compensation required to convert the as-created shape into a desired (target) shaped aperture opening. The compensation value is then used to modify the shape of the mesa itself such that a following anisotropic oxidation yields a target-shaped oxide aperture.

A vertical cavity surface-emitting laser including: a substrate having a main surface; and a post structure mounted on the main surface. The post structure includes an active layer and a carrier confinement structure. The carrier confinement structure includes a first region and a second region having a higher resistivity than the first region. The first region has an edge, and a first to a third reference line segments. A first length of the first reference line segment is longest among lengths of line segments joining any two points on the edge and extending in a direction of the III-V group semiconductor. The first length is greater than a sum of a second length of the second reference line segment and a third length of the third reference line segment. The third length is smaller than the second length and is zero or more.

There is provided a semiconductor laser including: a first mirror layer; a second mirror layer; an active layer; a current confinement layer; a first region including a plurality of first oxidized layers; and a second region including a plurality of second oxidized layers, in which, in a plan view, the laminated body includes a first part including the first region and the second region, a second part including the first region and the second region, and a third part disposed between the first part and the second part and resonating light generated in the active layer, the third part includes a fourth part including the first region and the second region and having a first groove, a fifth part including the first region and the second region and having a second groove, and a sixth part disposed between the fourth part and the fifth part and sandwiched between the first part and the second part, in a plan view.

A semiconductor laser including: a first mirror layer; a second mirror layer; an active layer, a current confinement layer, a first region, and a second region, in which the first mirror layer, the second mirror layer, the active layer, the current confinement layer, the first region, and the second region constitute a laminated body, the first region and the second region constitute an oxidized region of the laminated body, in a plan view, the laminated body includes a first part, a second part, and a third part disposed between the first part and the second part and resonating light generated in the active layer, and in a plan view, at least at a part of the third part, W1>W3 and W2>W3, W1 is a width of the oxidized region of the first part, W2 is a width of the oxidized region of the second part, and W.sub.3 is a width of the oxidized region of the third part.

A semiconductor optical amplifier includes: a substrate; a light source unit that is formed on the substrate; and an optical amplification unit that includes a conductive region extending, from the light source unit, in a predetermined direction along a surface of the substrate, and a nonconductive region around the conductive region. The optical amplification unit amplifies propagation light that propagates, from the light source unit, in the predetermined direction as slow light, and emits the propagation light that is amplified in an emission direction that intersects with the surface. The maximum optical power of the propagation light is larger than the maximum optical power in a vertical oscillation mode.

A segmented VCSEL array having a plurality of individually addressable segments, each segment comprising one or more VCSELs. In some cases, at least two of the plurality of individually addressable segments may be driven in combination. The plurality of individually addressable segments, in some embodiments, may be centered around the same central point. An optical element may be used in conjunction with the segmented VCSEL array, and in some cases may be aligned to the central point. The optical element may be configured such that light passing therethrough may be directed according to which of the plurality of individually addressable segments is activated. In some embodiments, the optical element is a grating or diffractive optical element. The grating or diffractive optical element could be patterned with optical segments that each correspond to at least one the plurality of individually addressable segments.

A VCSEL can include: an elliptical oxide aperture in an oxidized region that is located between an active region and an emission surface, the elliptical aperture having a short radius and a long radius with a radius ratio (short radius)/(long radius) being between 0.6 and 0.8, the VCSEL having a relative intensity noise (RIN) of less than 140 dB/Hz. The VCSEL can include an elliptical emission aperture having the same dimensions of the elliptical oxide aperture. The VCSEL can include an elliptical contact having an elliptical contact aperture therein, the elliptical contact being around the elliptical emission aperture. The elliptical contact can be C-shaped. The VCSEL can include one or more trenches lateral of the oxidized region, the one or more trenches forming an elliptical shape, wherein the oxidized region has an elliptical shape. The one or more trenches can be trapezoidal shaped trenches.

The present embodiment relates to a semiconductor light emitting element having a structure that enables removal of zero-order light from output light of an S-iPM laser. The semiconductor light emitting element includes an active layer, a pair of cladding layers, and a phase modulation layer. The phase modulation layer has a base layer and a plurality of modified refractive index regions each of which is individually arranged at a specific position. One of the pair of cladding layers includes a distributed Bragg reflector layer which has a transmission characteristic with respect to a specific optical image outputted along an inclined direction with respect to a light emission surface and has a reflection characteristic with respect to the zero-order light outputted along a normal direction of the light emission surface.

A VCSEL device includes a substrate and a first DBR structure disposed on the substrate. The VCSEL device further includes a cathode contact disposed on a top surface of the first DBR structure. In addition, the VCSEL device includes a VCSEL mesa that is disposed on the top surface of the first DBR structure. The VCSEL mesa includes a quantum well, a non-circularly-shaped oxide aperture region disposed above the quantum well, and a second DBR structure disposed above the non-circularly-shaped oxide aperture region. In addition, the VCSEL mesa includes a selective polarization structure disposed above the second DBR structure and an anode contact disposed above the selective polarization structure.

Provided is a semiconductor laser that includes: an active layer; a grating layer including a phase shift portion with partially different grating periods; a contact layer placed above the grating layer; a highly resistive element higher in electric resistance than the contact layer; and an electrode in contact with the contact layer, and the highly resistive element is below at least a part of a portion of the electrode that overlaps with the phase shift portion.