Patent ID: 8885685

Claim:
A semiconductor light emitting device comprising: a first semiconductor layer including a first portion and a second portion juxtaposed with the first portion; a second semiconductor layer being in contact with a lower surface of the first portion; a laser resonator provided on the first portion and having a ring-shaped resonator structure circled along a major surface of the first semiconductor layer, the laser resonator configured to emit light; and a low refractive index layer provided in contact with a lower surface of the second portion, the second portion being configured to guide the light, the first portion having a first refractive index with respect to the light, the second portion having a second refractive index with respect to the light, the second semiconductor layer having a third refractive index with respect to the light, the low refractive index layer having a fourth refractive index with respect to the light, the fourth refractive index being lower than the second refractive index, an absolute value between the second refractive index and the fourth refractive index being larger than an absolute value of a difference between the first refractive index and the third refractive index, a conductivity of the low refractive index layer being lower than a conductivity of the second semiconductor layer, as viewed in a direction orthogonal to the major surface, a boundary between the low refractive index layer and the second semiconductor layer being located at a first position immediately below a ring outer periphery position of the laser resonator or being located at a second position shifted from the first position to inside of the ring.