Patent ID: 8053262

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a nitride semiconductor laser element having a nitride semiconductor layer including at least an active layer provided on a substrate, a pair of cavity planes formed on the nitride semiconductor layer so that light resonates between the cavity planes in the nitride semiconductor layer, and a protruding part where part of the substrate protrudes from said cavity plane, said method comprising: a step of forming a wafer unit by forming the nitride semiconductor layer on the substrate; a first etching step of forming a first groove by etching at least the nitride semiconductor layer of the wafer unit so that the first groove extends parallel to a direction along which the cavity planes of the nitride semiconductor laser element will be formed; and a second etching step of forming at least one of the cavity planes, in the second etching step, an inner wall of the first groove and a part of a surface of the nitride semiconductor layer adjacent to the first groove are etched to form a second groove along the first groove so that an inner wall of the second groove defines the at least one of the cavity planes and an upper face of the protruding part that is slanted with respect to the at least one of the cavity planes and with respect to a horizontal face of the substrate.