Patent ID: 7912105

Claim:
A vertical cavity surface emitting laser comprising the following stacked in a vertical direction: a resonator including an active layer having a light emitting region and a first multilayer reflector and a second multilayer reflector provided with the active layer in between the first and second multilayer reflectors, the resonator resonating at a given wavelength; a first layer having a torus-shaped first current confinement portion in an outer region of the first layer and a circular first current injection portion in an inner portion of the first layer corresponding to the light emitting region, the first current confinement portion positioned between the active layer and the first multilayer reflector, the first current confinement portion including an antinode of a standing wave formed in the resonator, the first current injection portion made of a first material; a second layer having a torus-shaped second current confinement portion in an outer region of the first layer and a circular second current injection portion in an inner portion of the second layer corresponding to the light emitting region, the second current injection portion having a diameter smaller than a diameter of the first current injection portion, the second current confinement portion being positioned between the first current confinement portion and the first multilayer reflector, the second current confinement portion including a node of the standing wave formed in the resonator, the second current injection portion made of a second material that is different than the first material of the first current injection portion; and at least one layer spacing said first layer from said second layer, and completely separating said first layer from said second layer in their entireties, wherein, the first current confinement portion selectively suppresses high-order transverse mode oscillation; and a thickness of the second current confinement portion relative to the vertical direction is thinner than the thickness of the first current confinement portion.