Patent ID: 8048702

Claim:
A method of fabricating a nitride-based semiconductor optical device by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition, the nitride-based semiconductor optical device including an active layer, the method comprising the steps of: growing a barrier layer at a first temperature while supplying a first raw material gas to a reactor, the first raw material gas including a gallium source as Group III raw material, and the barrier layer comprising a first gallium nitride-based semiconductor; after the growth of the barrier layer, supplying a nitrogen source and an indium source to the reactor without supply of the gallium source to perform a preflow of the indium source; and immediately after the preflow, growing a well layer on the barrier layer at a second temperature while supplying a second raw material gas to the reactor, the second raw material gas including the indium source and the gallium source as Group III raw material, the well layer comprising InGaN, and the second temperature being lower than the first temperature, the gallium source and the indium source being supplied as Group III raw material to the reactor to grow plural InGaN layers during plural first periods of the step of growing the well layer, respectively, the indium source being supplied to the reactor without supply of the gallium source during a second period of the step of growing the well layer, the second period being between the first periods, the well layer comprising the plural InGaN layers, the active layer comprising the well layer and the barrier layer, and the active layer being provided on a primary surface of a gallium nitride-based semiconductor region.