Patent ID: 8222058

Claim:
A method for producing a semiconductor optical device, comprising the steps of: forming a semiconductor region including a semiconductor layer on a substrate, the substrate including a principal surface, the principal surface including a device area including device sections arranged in rows and columns; preparing a mold including a pattern surface, the pattern surface including an arrangement of patterns each including first to n-th pattern portions; forming a first mask on the semiconductor region with the mold by a nano-imprint technique; forming first to n-th periodic structures in each of the device sections in the semiconductor region by using the first mask, the first to n-th periodic structures respectively corresponding to the first to n-th pattern portions; forming a second mask after the first mask is removed, the second mask including a first pattern on an i-th periodic structure (1≦i≦n) among the first to n-th periodic structures in a first section of the device sections and including a second pattern on a j-th periodic structure (1≦j≦n) among the first to n-th periodic structures in a second section of the device sections; and forming first and second stripe mesas in the first and second sections respectively by using the second mask, wherein the first to n-th periodic structures are arranged adjacent to one another in a direction of the rows; the first to n-th periodic structures each extend in a direction of the columns; the second mask includes openings above periodic structures other than the i-th periodic structure in the first section of the device sections and above periodic structures other than the j-th periodic structure in the second section of the device sections; the periodic structures other than the i-th periodic structure in the first section are removed upon formation of the first and second stripe mesas; and the periodic structures other than the j-th periodic structure in the second section are removed upon the formation of the first and second strip mesas.