Patent ID: 7672347

Claim:
A semiconductor light emitting device comprising: a substrate; a first semiconductor layer; an active layer on the first semiconductor layer; a second semiconductor layer on the active layer; a current confinement part in the second semiconductor layer, or between the active layer and the second semiconductor layer; and an intermediate layer made of a compound semiconductor which is between the current confinement layer and the second semiconductor layer or between the current confinement layer and the active layer, wherein, the current confinement part limits a current injection region of the active layer, the current confinement part includes a current confinement layer having a conductive region corresponding to the current injection region of the active layer and a nonconductive region corresponding to a region other than the current injection region of the active layer, the intermediate layer is effective to prevent the formation of a mixed crystal of phosphorous and arsenic between the current confinement layer and the second semiconductor layer or the active layer, respectively, the intermediate layer is made of a Group III-V compound semiconductor containing at least one of aluminum (Al) and gallium (Ga) among Group 3B elements and at least arsenic (As) among Group 5B elements, the second semiconductor layer or the active layer is made of a Group III-V compound semiconductor containing at least one of aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga), and indium (In) among Group 3B elements and at least phosphorous (P) among Group 5B elements, and the conductive region of the current confinement layer is made of a Group III-V compound semiconductor containing at least aluminum (Al) among Group 3B elements and at least arsenic (As) among Group 5B elements and the nonconductive region of the current confinement layer is made of an insulating oxide containing aluminum (Al).