PURPOSE: To prevent generation of a high order lateral mode when a resistance of a periphery is reduced and a light absorption is reduced by heat treating after ion implanting in the case of an ion implanting method used to obtain a single lateral mode in a surface light emitting element due to the fact that a gain waveguide type is advantageous.

CONSTITUTION: After a wafer is grown, a region 9 is formed by first ion implanting, and heat-treated. Further, a second ion implanted region 11 is formed by using a mask 10 larger than previous one, and then not heat-treated. A light absorption loss is reduced by the heat treatment after the first ion implanting, a current narrowing becomes effective together with a high resistance layer formed by the second ion implanting without heat treating, and an oscillation threshold value is reduced. Further, since a light absorption is large in the secondly formed ion implanted layer, a high order lateral mode having a strong electric field is absorbed to the periphery, and a single lateral mode oscillation is facilitated.