Patent ID: 8102891

Claim:
A nitride semiconductor laser element comprising: nitride semiconductor layers in which a nitride semiconductor layer of a first conduction type, an active layer, and a nitride semiconductor layer of a second conduction type that is different from the first conduction type are laminated in that order; a cavity end face formed by the nitride semiconductor layers; and a protective film formed on the cavity end face, the nitride semiconductor layer of the first conduction type and the nitride semiconductor layer of the second conduction type having a layer containing Al, and the active layer having a layer containing In, the protective film having a region in which an axial orientation of crystals is the same as that of the cavity end face on the nitride semiconductor layer of the first conduction type and the nitride semiconductor layer of the second conduction type, and having another region in which an axial orientation of crystals is different from that of the cavity end face on the active layer.