Patent ID: 8582618

Claim:
A surface-emitting semiconductor laser device comprising: a substrate having an upper surface and a lower surface; a plurality of semiconductor layers comprising at least a lowermost layer and an uppermost layer, wherein the lowermost layer is disposed on the upper surface of the substrate, said plurality of semiconductor layers having an edge-emitting laser formed therein for producing laser light of a lasing wavelength when the laser is activated, the laser having first and second end facets, wherein the laser light of the lasing wavelength passes out of the laser through the second end facet when the laser is activated; a channel formed in said plurality of semiconductor layers; a polymer material disposed in the channel, the polymer material including at least an upper surface, a lower surface and an angled side facet; a refractive or diffractive lens located in or on the upper surface of the polymer material; a side reflector located on the angled side facet of the polymer material generally facing the second end facet of the laser; and a lower reflector located on the upper surface of the substrate generally beneath the lower surface of the polymer material and generally facing the upper surface of the polymer material, wherein at least a portion of the laser light that passes out of the second end facet of the laser propagates through the polymer material and is reflected by the side reflector in a direction generally toward the lower reflector, and wherein at least a portion of the reflected laser light is incident on the lower reflector and is re-reflected by the lower reflector in a direction generally towards the refractive or diffractive lens, and wherein the refractive or diffractive lens receives at least a portion of the re-reflected laser light and causes the received portion to be directed out of the surface-emitting semiconductor laser device in a direction that is generally normal to the upper surface of the substrate.