Patent ID: 7215693

Claim:
A surface emitting semiconductor laser device comprising a substrate, a bottom DBR overlying the substrate, and a mesa post overlying the bottom DBR and having a layer structure, the layer structure including a top DBR including a plurality of pairs, each of the pairs including an Al-containing high-refractive index layer and an Al-containing low-refractive index layer, an active layer structure sandwiched between the DBRs for emitting laser, and a current confinement layer disposed within or in a vicinity of one of the DBRs, the current confinement layer including a central current injection area and an Al-oxidized annular current blocking area encircling the central current injection area, wherein the following relation holds: a/b>0.6; and b≧2 μm where the “a” is a distance between the current confinement layer and top of the mesa post, and the “b” is a width of the Al-oxidized annular current blocking area.