Surface emitting semiconductor laser, optical recording head, and optical recording apparatus

An optical recording head comprising:

• a light source;
• and
• a waveguide for irradiating a recording medium with light from the light source, the light being joined to the waveguide via a diffraction grating;
• wherein the light source is a surface emitting laser in which a two-dimensional photonic crystal structure is provided in a surface on a side opposite to the waveguide, a region except a region opposite to the diffraction grating is covered in the two-dimensional photonic crystal structure, and the region opposite to the diffraction grating is a surface emitting region.

In a surface emitting semiconductor laser, arranged opposite to a waveguide having a grating coupler, to eject light to be introduced into the waveguide toward a grating coupler, the surface emitting semiconductor laser comprising:

• a semiconductor laminated portion having a first clad layer, a second clad layer, and an active layer, sandwiched between the first clad layer and the second clad layer, to generate light of a predetermined wavelength by carrier injection;
• a first electrode connected to the first clad layer;
• and
• a second electrode connected to the second clad layer;
• wherein the first clad layer is provided with a diffraction grating having a constitution in which refractive index is changed with a period corresponding to the predetermined wavelength in an in-plane direction, light having been generated in the active layer by optical coupling with the active layer is introduced, light of the predetermined wavelength having been introduced is diffracted for laser oscillation, and a traveling direction of at least part of light is converted into a vertical direction with respect to the in-plane direction;
• wherein, in the diffraction grating, a region except a region opposite to the grating coupler is covered and a region, opposite to the grating coupler, to eject light having been converted into the vertical direction is a surface emitting region;
• and
• wherein a member to cover the diffraction grating is the first electrode and a resonator region to carry out laser oscillation, together with the second electrode opposite to the first electrode is formed.