A vertical cavity light-emitting element includes a substrate, a first multilayer reflector, a semiconductor structure layer, an electrode layer, and a second multilayer reflector. The semiconductor structure layer includes a first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type on the first multilayer reflector, a light-emitting layer on the first semiconductor layer, and a second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type on the light-emitting layer. The electrode layer is on an upper surface of the semiconductor structure layer and is electrically in contact with the second semiconductor layer in one region of the upper surface. The second multilayer reflector covers the one region on the electrode layer and constitutes a resonator with the first multilayer reflector. The semiconductor structure layer has one recessed structure including one or a plurality of recessed portions passing through the light-emitting from the upper surface in a region surrounding the one region.

The semiconductor laser diode includes a semiconductor layer sequence having an active zone. The semiconductor layer sequence has a shape of a generalized cylinder or a frustum, and a main axis of the semiconductor layer sequence is perpendicular to a main extension plane of the semiconductor layer sequence. The semiconductor layer sequence has a core region and an edge region directly adjacent to the core region. The main axis passes through the core region. The edge region borders the core region in directions perpendicular to the main axis. The semiconductor layer sequence has a larger refractive index in the core region than in the edge region.

A semiconductor optical device includes a substrate having an optical waveguide, a gain section formed of a compound semiconductor having an optical gain and bonded to an upper surface of the substrate, the gain section having a first mesa, and a first wiring line electrically connected to the gain section. The first mesa of the gain section is optically coupled to the optical waveguide. The substrate includes a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer. The first layer has a higher thermal conductivity than the second layer. The second layer is stacked on the first layer. The third layer is stacked on the second layer. A recess provided in the substrate extends through the third layer to the second layer in the thickness direction. The first wiring line extends from the first mesa of the gain section to the recess.

A laser diode (1) includes an AlN single crystal substrate (11), an n-type cladding layer (12) formed on the substrate and including a nitride semiconductor layer having n-type conductivity, a light-emitting layer (14) formed on the n-type cladding layer and including one or more quantum wells, a p-type cladding layer (20) formed on the light-emitting layer and including a nitride semiconductor layer having p-type conductivity, and a p-type contact layer (18) formed on the p-type cladding layer and including a nitride semiconductor that includes GaN. The p-type cladding layer includes a p-type longitudinal conduction layer (16) that includes Al.sub.sGa.sub.1−sN (0.3≤s≤1), has a composition gradient such that the Al composition s decreases with increased distance from the substrate, and has a film thickness of less than 0.5 μm, and a p-type transverse conduction layer (17) that includes Al.sub.tGa.sub.1−tN (0<t≤1).

A method for producing a semiconductor chip (100) is provided, in which, during a growth process for growing a first semiconductor layer (1), an inhomogeneous lateral temperature distribution is created along at least one direction of extent of the growing first semiconductor layer (1), such that a lateral variation of a material composition of the first semiconductor layer (1) is produced. A semiconductor chip (100) is additionally provided.

A semiconductor layer structure may include a substrate, a blocking layer disposed over the substrate, and one or more epitaxial layers disposed over the blocking layer. The blocking layer may have a thickness of between 50 nanometers (nm) and 4000 nm. The blocking layer may be configured to suppress defects from the substrate propagating to the one or more epitaxial layers. The one or more epitaxial layers may include a quantum-well layer that includes a quantum-well intermixing region formed using a high temperature treatment.

A group III-nitride semiconductor device comprises a light emitting semiconductor structure comprising a p-type layer and an n-type layer operable as a light emitting diode or laser. On top of the p-type layer there is arranged an n+ or n++-type layer of a group III-nitride, which is transparent to the light emitted from the underlying semiconductor structure and of sufficiently high electrical conductivity to provide lateral spreading of injection current for the light-emitting semiconductor structure.

A semiconductor layer structure may include a substrate, a blocking layer disposed over the substrate, and one or more epitaxial layers disposed over the blocking layer. The blocking layer may have a thickness of between 50 nanometers (nm) and 4000 nm. The blocking layer may be configured to suppress defects from the substrate propagating to the one or more epitaxial layers. The one or more epitaxial layers may include a quantum-well layer that includes a quantum-well intermixing region formed using a high temperature treatment.

A manufacturing method of a nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting element includes: forming an n-type nitride-based semiconductor layer; forming, on the n-type nitride-based semiconductor layer, a light emission layer including a nitride-based semiconductor; forming, on the light emission layer in an atmosphere containing a hydrogen gas, a p-type nitride-based semiconductor layer while doping the p-type nitride-based semiconductor layer with a p-type dopant at a concentration of at least 2.0×10.sup.18 atom/cm.sup.3; and annealing the p-type nitride-based semiconductor layer at a temperature of at least 800 degrees Celsius in an atmosphere not containing hydrogen. In this manufacturing method, a hydrogen concentration of the p-type nitride-based semiconductor layer after the annealing is at most 5.0×10.sup.18 atom/cm.sup.3 and at most 5% of the concentration of the p-type dopant, and a hydrogen concentration of the light emission layer is at most 2.0×10.sup.17 atom/cm.sup.3.

A laser element comprises a substrate; and an n-type semiconductor layer, a light emitting layer, a p-type semiconductor layer, and an electrode layer successively laminated on one principal surface of the substrate, wherein the p-type semiconductor layer includes a ridge raised in a stripe shape, the ridge including a contact layer formed in a layer including a principal surface on a side opposite to the substrate, a stepped portion defined by recessing the contact layer is formed in at least part of a boundary between a lateral surface among surfaces defining outer edges of the ridge, the lateral surface extending along a lengthwise direction of the ridge, and the principal surface of the ridge, and the electrode layer covers the principal surface of the ridge and the stepped portion.