US 7,499,481 B2
Surface-emitting laser and method for producing the same
Mitsuhiro Ikuta, Tokyo (Japan)
Assigned to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (Japan)
Filed on Nov. 09, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/937,772.
Claims priority of application No. 2006-307760 (JP), filed on Nov. 14, 2006; and application No. 2007-226337 (JP), filed on Aug. 31, 2007.
Prior Publication US 2008/0112442 A1, May 15, 2008
Int. Cl. H01S 5/00 (2006.01); H01S 3/08 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 372—50.124  [372/46.013; 372/92] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A surface-emitting laser comprising:
a substrate;
a pair of reflectors disposed on the substrate; and
an active layer disposed between the pair of reflectors;
wherein at least one of the pair of reflectors is a multilayer reflector including one or more layers having a first refractive index and one or more layers having a second refractive index lower than the first refractive index, wherein the layers having the first and second refractive indices are alternately stacked;
at least one of the layers having the second refractive index includes a first region and a second region surrounding the first region in a plane parallel to the substrate;
the first region contains aluminum oxide and has a lower refractive index than the second region;
a boundary between the first region and the second region is positioned within a region where laser light is emitted; and
the reflectance of the multilayer reflector for the laser light in a direction perpendicular to the substrate is higher in a portion including the first region than in a portion including the second region.