Patent ID: 7764722

Claim:
An edge emitting nitride semiconductor laser element having nitride semiconductor layers including a first nitride semiconductor layer, an active layer and a second nitride semiconductor layer laminated in a lamination direction, and a first protective film continuously covering a cavity end face of the nitride semiconductor layers with the cavity end face extending in a direction parallel to the lamination direction, the first protective film having a thin film region in which a film thickness of the first protective film, which is defined as a distance from the cavity end face to a top surface of the first protective film measured in a direction perpendicular to the lamination direction of the nitride semiconductor layers, increases with increasing distance from a position corresponding to the active layer in the direction parallel to the lamination direction of the nitride semiconductor layers, wherein a ridge is formed on a surface of the second nitride semiconductor layer to form an optical waveguide region, and the thin film region of the first protective film has a width that is larger than a width of the ridge as measured in the direction perpendicular to the lamination direction of the nitride semiconductor layers on a plane parallel to the cavity end face.