PURPOSE: To improve the mass productivity of a semiconductor laser by forming overhangs at an epitaxial layer which contains an active layer, cleaving at thin overhangs, thereby enabling to set an accurate resonator length and facilitating the formation of a protecting film.
CONSTITUTION: An N type A GaAs, an N type GaAs active layer, a P type A GaAs, and an N type GaAs are epitaxially formed at 12 on an N type GaAs substrate 11, and a P type parallel grooves 18 which reach an upper clad layer are arranged in the prescribed width at the prescribed interval. Strip resist masks are covered at an interval G, a neck 19a is formed at an interval corresponding to the resonator length of the laser, and the inner end 19b of the neck is disposed outside the grooves 18. Grooves 20 are formed by selectively etching, overhangs 12A of the layer 12 are formed, and the width W is formed equaly to the width of the groove 18 under the narrow part of the mask. Lines d1, d2 are cut along the cleavage surface in the desired resonator length across the grooves 18, a CVD Si3N4 protecting film is attached onto the substrate 11 of not finely pulverized state, and the substrate 11 is eventually divided along the lines (e), (f) to complete it. According to this structure, the formation of the protecting film is simple, and a semiconductor laser can be manufactured in mass production in a high yield.
MATSUDA OSAMU
KANEKO KUNIO
