There is provided a configuration which includes: a burying layer which has a current narrowing window where portions protruding onto a top part of a ridge stripe are opposed to each other with an interval therebetween narrower than a width of the top part; and a diffraction grating in which a λ/4 phase shifter is placed at an intermediate portion in a light traveling direction; wherein a sectional shape of the current narrowing window varies depending on a position in the light traveling direction so that, at a region where the λ/4 phase shifter is placed, a resistance of a current path from a second cladding layer to a first cladding layer through the current narrowing window is minimum.

The present invention relates to a diode laser with a current block and, in particular, to a diode laser with a modified “p-n-p” or “n-p-n” structure as a current block for reducing the tunneling probability. A diode laser according to the invention comprises an active layer and a layered current block formed outside the active layer, wherein the current block is made of a material doped in opposition to its surroundings for a spatially selective current injection of the active layer between an n-substrate and a p-contact; wherein the current block is separated from adjacent layers via an intrinsic outer layer.

A quantum cascade laser includes a laser structure having an output face for emitting laser light in a first direction; and a lens having an entrance surface and a convex surface, the entrance surface receiving the laser light from the output face, and the convex surface emitting the laser light after being condensed by the lens. The laser structure includes a semiconductor substrate and a mesa waveguide provided on a first region of a principal surface of the semiconductor substrate, the mesa waveguide extending in the first direction. The lens includes a semiconductor and is provided on a second region of the principal surface of the semiconductor substrate. The first region and the second region are arranged in the first direction.

An optical semiconductor device includes a substrate, a semiconductor multilayer which is formed on the substrate, and includes an optical functional layer, an insulating film formed on the semiconductor multilayer, and an electrode formed on a part of the insulating film. The insulating film covers the semiconductor multilayer except for a region in which the semiconductor multilayer and the electrode are electrically connected to each other. At least a part of a region of the insulating film that is overlapped with the electrode is thinner than a region of the insulating film that is not overlapped with the electrode.

The semiconductor laser device comprises a laser part, a waveguide for propagating laser light emitted by the laser part, and a photodetector for detecting the laser light which are formed on the same semiconductor substrate. The photodetector includes a p-type contact layer which is formed above the side of the waveguide on the side opposite to the semiconductor substrate and is connected to an anode electrode, an n-type contact layer connected to a cathode electrode, and an undoped layer formed between the p-type contact layer and the n-type contact layer. The undoped layer and the n-type contact layer in the photodetector include a main light receiving part disposed above the waveguide so as to encompass the waveguide, and an enlarged part disposed so as not to encompass the waveguide while connected to the main light receiving part.

A buried semiconductor optical device comprises a semiconductor substrate; a mesa-stripe portion including a multi-quantum well layer on the semiconductor substrate; a buried layer consisting of a first portion and a second portion, the first portion covering one side of the mesa-stripe portion, the second portion covering the other side of the mesa-stripe portion, and the first portion and the second portion covering a surface of the semiconductor substrate; and an electrode configured to cause an electric current to flow through the mesa-stripe portion, the buried layer comprising, from the surface, a first, second, and third sublayer, the first and third sublayer each consisting of semi-insulating InP, the first sublayer and the second sublayer forming a pair structure, the second sublayer being located above the multi-quantum well layer, and the second sublayer consisting of one or more layers selected from InGaAs, InAlAs, InGaAlAs, InGaAsP, and InAlAsP.

A semiconductor optical device may include a semiconductor substrate; a mesa stripe structure that extends in a stripe shape in a first direction on the semiconductor substrate and includes a contact layer on a top layer; an adjacent layer on the semiconductor substrate and adjacent to the mesa stripe structure in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; a passivation film that covers at least a part of the adjacent layer; a resin layer on the passivation film; an electrode that is electrically connected to the contact layer and extends continuously from the contact layer to the resin layer; and an inorganic insulating film that extends continuously from the resin layer to the passivation film under the electrode, is spaced apart from the mesa stripe structure, and is completely interposed between the electrode and the resin layer.

An optical semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate with a protrusion that forms a lower end portion of a mesa stripe structure in a stripe shape extending in a first direction; a multi-quantum well layer in a stripe shape extending in the first direction on the protrusion, wherein the multi-quantum well layer forms an intermediate portion of the mesa stripe structure; a semiconductor layer in a stripe shape extending in the first direction on the intermediate portion, wherein the semiconductor layer forms an upper end portion of the mesa stripe structure; and a semi-insulating semiconductor layer in contact with side surfaces of the mesa stripe structure on both sides in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The optical semiconductor device may include a first electrode on a surface of the semiconductor substrate and/or a second electrode on the upper end surface of the mesa stripe structure.

What is provided are: an active-layer ridge which is composed of an n-type cladding layer, an active layer, a first p-type cladding layer and a second n-type blocking layer that are stacked in this order on an n-type InP substrate, and which is formed to project from a position lower than the active layer; burying layers by which both side portions of the active-layer ridge are buried up to a position higher than the active layer; first n-type blocking layers which are each stacked on a front-surface side of each of the burying layers, to be placed on the both sides of the ridge; and a second p-type cladding layer by which an end portion of the active-layer ridge and the first n-type blocking layers are buried thereunder; wherein a current narrowing window for allowing a hole current to pass therethrough is provided in and at a center of the second n-type blocking layer placed at a top of the active-layer ridge.

An optical semiconductor device is provided with: a mesa in which a first conductivity type cladding layer, an active layer, and a second conductivity type first cladding layer having a second conductivity type are sequentially laminated on a surface of a first conductivity type substrate; a buried layer that buries both sides of the mesa with a top of the mesa being exposed; and a second conductivity type second cladding layer that buries the buried layer and the top of the mesa exposed from the buried layer, wherein the buried layer includes a layer doped with a semi-insulating material, and a boundary between the second conductivity type first cladding layer and the buried layer is inclined so that a width of the second conductivity-type first cladding layer becomes narrower toward the top of the mesa.