Patent ID: 8597966

Claim:
A method for producing a semiconductor optical device, comprising: a step of preparing a substrate including a first region and a second region; a step of growing a stacked semiconductor layer on the substrate; a step of forming a first mask on the stacked semiconductor layer, the first mask having a stripe-shaped pattern that extends in a waveguiding direction; a first etching step of etching the stacked semiconductor layer with the first mask to form a stripe-shaped optical waveguide, the stripe-shaped optical waveguide including a first stripe-shaped optical waveguide formed on the first region, and a second stripe-shaped optical waveguide formed on the second region; after the first etching step, a step of forming a second mask on the stacked semiconductor layer with the first mask left, the second mask having a pattern configured to form a semiconductor mesa structure; and a second etching step of etching the stacked semiconductor layer on the first region with the first mask and the second mask to form the semiconductor mesa structure, wherein the second mask includes a first opening extending along the waveguiding direction, the first opening includes a first opening edge remote from one side surface of the first stripe-shaped optical waveguide, and a second opening edge remote from the other side surface of the first stripe-shaped optical waveguide, the first opening edge and the second opening edge are located on a region of the stacked semiconductor layer uncovered with the first mask, the semiconductor mesa structure is formed of the first stripe-shaped optical waveguide formed on the first region, and the second stripe-shaped optical waveguide formed on the second region has a ridge structure different from the semiconductor mesa structure.