Patent ID: 7512168

Claim:
A nitride semiconductor laser device comprising: a substrate; a nitride semiconductor growth layer having a plurality of nitride semiconductor layers layered on the substrate; a pair of trenches in the surface of the nitride semiconductor growth layer; a ridge interposed between the pair of trenches and provided with an opening; an insulator film formed on the surface of the nitride semiconductor growth layer having an opening on the ridge; and an upper electrode layer formed over the surfaces of the insulator film and the ridge, wherein the upper electrode layer includes a first electrode layer formed over the surfaces of the insulator film and the ridge and a second electrode layer formed in a region outside of the pair of trenches in the surface of the first electrode layer, an electrical contact point is provided outside of the pair of trenches on the surface of the second electrode layer so as to make an electrical connection to the outside, and the thickness between the surface of the upper electrode layer in the electrical contact point and the nitride semiconductor growth layer is larger than the thickness between the upper electrode layer immediately above the ridge and the nitride semiconductor growth layer.