Patent ID: 7554127

Claim:
A semiconductor light-emitting element, comprising: an n-type cladding layer; a light guide layer positioned on the n-type cladding layer; a multiple quantum well structure active layer positioned on the light guide layer; a p-type carrier overflow prevention layer positioned on the active layer and having an impurity concentration of 5×10 18 cm −3 to not more than 3×10 19 cm −3 ; a single p-type light guide layer positioned directly on the p-type carrier overflow prevention layer, an entire region of the single p-type light guide layer having an impurity concentration of 1×10 18 cm −3 or more and less than that of the p-type carrier overflow prevention layer; and a p-type cladding layer positioned directly on the single p-type light guide layer and having a band gap narrower than the p-type carrier overflow prevention layer, wherein of the n-type cladding layer, the light guide layer, the multiple quantum well structure active layer, the p-type carrier overflow prevention layer, the single p-type light guide layer, and the p-type cladding layer, only the p-type cladding layer has a ridge potion, and wherein the n-type cladding layer and the p-type cladding layer each have a composition Al v Ga 1−v N (0.0 <v≦0.3) or a superlattice of a composition Al v Ga 1−v N/GaN (0.0<v≦0.3), the light guide layer has a composition In w Ga 1−w N (0.0≦w≦1.0), the active layer has a composition In x Ga 1−x N/In y Ga 1−y N (0.05≦x≦1.0, 0.0≦y), the single p-type light guide layer has a composition GaN, and the p-type carrier overflow prevention layer has a composition Al z Ga 1−z N (z >v).