Patent ID: 7564886

Claim:
A semiconductor laser diode array comprising: a semiconductor chip; and a submount that comprises a plurality of submount electrodes, wherein the semiconductor chip comprises: a plurality of stripe-shaped optical resonators that emit light beams when current flows therethrough, the optical resonators arranged at predetermined intervals on the semiconductor chip; a plurality of first electrodes extending in a direction of stripes of the optical resonators, each first electrode covering each optical resonator, the first electrodes being separated from each other; an insulation film covering the first electrodes; and a plurality of second electrodes covering the optical resonators through the insulation film, respectively, one second electrode being electrically separated from another second electrode and another first electrode except for one particular first electrode, said plurality of second electrodes comprising a plurality of second electrodes formed along each of said optical resonators to form a two-dimensional array of second electrodes; wherein a part of the insulation film above the optical resonators defines contact holes through which said particular first and second electrodes are electrically connected with each other, wherein the contact holes are arranged so that at least a part of the contact holes are aligned with one of the submount electrodes, wherein said contact holes are disposed in a staggered arrangement throughout said two-dimensional array of second electrodes, wherein a number of the second electrodes is larger than a number of the contact holes.