Process for producing surface emitting laser, process for producing surface emitting laser array, and optical apparatus including surface emitting laser array produced by the process

Abstract

Provided is a process for producing a surface emitting laser including a surface relief structure provided on laminated semiconductor layers, including the steps of transferring, to a first dielectric film, a first pattern for defining a mesa structure and a second pattern for defining the surface relief structure in the same process; and forming a second dielectric film on the first dielectric film and a surface of the laminated semiconductor layers to which the first pattern and the second pattern have been transferred. Accordingly, a center position of the surface relief structure can be aligned with a center position of a current confinement structure at high precision.

1 - 13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . An image forming apparatus, comprising:
 a surface emitting laser array formed of a plurality of surface emitting lasers;   a photoreceptor for forming an electrostatic latent image with a beam from the surface emitting laser array;   a charging unit; and   a developing unit,   wherein each surface emitting laser includes a surface relief structure provided on a laminated semiconductor layer, and   wherein each surface emitting laser of the plurality of surface emitting lasers is formed by a process that includes:
 forming a first dielectric film on the laminated semiconductor layer, 
 forming, on the first dielectric film, a first pattern for defining a mesa structure and a second pattern for defining the surface relief structure in a same process, 
 forming the first pattern and the second pattern on a surface of the laminated semiconductor layer by using the first dielectric film on which the first pattern and the second pattern have been formed, 
 forming a second dielectric film on the first dielectric film and the laminated semiconductor layer on which the first pattern and the second pattern have been formed, 
 removing at least a portion of the second dielectric film formed on the laminated semiconductor layer on which the first pattern has been formed, and 
 forming the mesa structure at the portion where the second dielectric film has been removed. 
   
     
     
         15 . (canceled)