Patent ID: 7691653
Filing Date: 2010-04-06
Classification: B82Y,H01S

Abstract:
1. A method for manufacturing a nitride semiconductor laser element, the method comprising: a nitride semiconductor layer formation step for forming a nitride semiconductor layer on a substrate; and a cleavage step for cleaving the substrate on which the nitride semiconductor layer is formed, so as to form two resonator end faces that are parallel to each other, wherein the method further comprises a first exposure step for exposing the resonator end faces to a first plasma atmosphere generated from nitrogen gas or a mixture gas of an inert gas and nitrogen gas, and in the first exposure step, when a ratio of nitrogen to gallium in a surface of the resonator end faces before the exposure to the first plasma atmosphere is represented by “a”, an average value of ratios of nitrogen to gallium inside from the surface of the resonator end faces before the exposure is represented by “b”, a ratio of nitrogen to gallium in the surface of the resonator end faces after the exposure to the first plasma atmosphere is represented by “d”, and an average value of ratios of nitrogen to gallium inside from the surface of the resonator end faces after the exposure is represented by “e”, the value “g”that is expressed by g=(b·d)/(a·e) is set to a value that satisfies g≧0.8.