A vertical cavity surface emitting device comprising: a substrate; a first multilayer film reflecting mirror formed on the substrate; a first semiconductor layer formed on the first multilayer film reflecting mirror and having a first conductivity type; a light-emitting layer formed on the first semiconductor layer; a second semiconductor layer formed on the light-emitting layer and having a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type of the first semiconductor layer, the second semiconductor layer including a low resistance region (15A, 21A) and a first high resistance region (15B, 21B2) on an upper surface, the first high resistance region being depressed from the low resistance region toward the light-emitting layer outside the low resistance region such that there is a vertical step difference up in height from the upper surface of the first high resistance region to the upper surface of the low resistance region and wherein impurities of the second conductivity type are inactivated in the first high resistance region such that the first high resistance region has an electrical resistance higher than an electrical resistance of the low resistance region; a light-transmitting electrode layer in contact with the low resistance region and at least an adjoining part of the first high resistance region, the light-transmitting electrode layer being formed directly on the upper surface of the second semiconductor layer in the low resistance region and in at least the adjoining part of the first high resistance region being depressed from the low resistance region; and a second multilayer film reflecting mirror formed on the light-transmitting electrode layer, a resonator being constituted between the second multilayer film reflecting mirror and the first multilayer film reflecting mirror, wherein a layer thickness of the second semiconductor layer in the low resistance region is larger than a layer thickness of the second semiconductor layer in the first high resistance region, the resonator includes a central region and an outer region, the central region corresponds to the low resistance region and extends between the first and the second multilayer film reflecting mirrors, and the outer region is disposed corresponding to the first high resistance region outside the central region, and the outer region has an equivalent refractive index lower than an equivalent refractive index of the central region. a substrate; a first multilayer film reflecting mirror formed on the substrate; a first semiconductor layer formed on the first multilayer film reflecting mirror and having a first conductivity type; a light-emitting layer formed on the first semiconductor layer; a second semiconductor layer formed on the light-emitting layer and having a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type of the first semiconductor layer, the second semiconductor layer including a low resistance region (15A, 21A) and a first high resistance region (15B, 21B2) on an upper surface, the first high resistance region being depressed from the low resistance region toward the light-emitting layer outside the low resistance region such that there is a vertical step difference up in height from the upper surface of the first high resistance region to the upper surface of the low resistance region and wherein impurities of the second conductivity type are inactivated in the first high resistance region such that the first high resistance region has an electrical resistance higher than an electrical resistance of the low resistance region; a light-transmitting electrode layer in contact with the low resistance region and at least an adjoining part of the first high resistance region, the light-transmitting electrode layer being formed directly on the upper surface of the second semiconductor layer in the low resistance region and in at least the adjoining part of the first high resistance region being depressed from the low resistance region; and a second multilayer film reflecting mirror formed on the light-transmitting electrode layer, a resonator being constituted between the second multilayer film reflecting mirror and the first multilayer film reflecting mirror, wherein a layer thickness of the second semiconductor layer in the low resistance region is larger than a layer thickness of the second semiconductor layer in the first high resistance region, the resonator includes a central region and an outer region, the central region corresponds to the low resistance region and extends between the first and the second multilayer film reflecting mirrors, and the outer region is disposed corresponding to the first high resistance region outside the central region, and the outer region has an equivalent refractive index lower than an equivalent refractive index of the central region.