Patent ID: 6110756
Filing Date: 2000-08-29
Classification: B82Y,H01L,H01S,Y10S

Abstract:
A method for producing a semiconductor laser including:a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type;a stripe-shaped multilayer structure, formed on the semiconductor substrate, the stripe-shaped multilayer structure including an active layer; anda current blocking portion formed on the semiconductor substrate on both sides of the stripe-shaped multilayer structure, the method comprising the steps of:depositing a plurality of semiconductor layers including the active layer on the semiconductor substrate;forming, on the plurality of semiconductor layers, a cap layer having an etching characteristic different from an etching characteristic of the plurality of semiconductor layers;forming a stripe-shaped mask layer on the cap layer;selectively etching the cap layer and at leas t two adjacent semiconductor layers of the plurality of semiconductor layers using an etchant to form the stripe-shaped multilayer structure having a width narrower than that of the cap layer, the etchant substantially not etching the mask layer, but referentially etching the cap layer to the plurality of semiconductor layers; andforming the current blocking portion by forming a first current blocking layer doped with an impurity of a second conductivity type, and a second current blocking layer doped with an impurity of the first conductivity type formed on the first current blocking layer,wherein the first current blocking layer is provided with a low concentration region having a relatively low concentration of the doped impurity, and a high-concentration region having a concentration of the doped impurity higher than the concentration of the low-concentration region, the low concentration region being provided at a position closer to the stripe-shaped multilayer structure than the high-concentration region.