Semiconductor laser and method for fabricating the same

A method for fabricating a semiconductor laser comprising:

• an epitaxial growth step of epitaxially growing an epitaxial crystal layer a crystal plane of a grown surface of which is substantially (0001) on a single crystal substrate of cubic system a plane orientation of which is substantially plane (111);
• a laser resonator forming step of cleaving the single crystal substrate and the epitaxial crystal layer so that a cleavage plane of the single crystal substrate is plane (100), and cleavage planes of the epitaxial crystal layer is plane (1100) to constitute a laser resonator by opposed cleaved planes of the epitaxial crystal layer.

A method for fabricating a semiconductor laser comprising a step of epitaxially growing a GaN-based epitaxial layer a crystal plane of a grown surface of which is substantially (0001) plane on an MgAl.sub.2 O.sub.4 substrate a plane orientation of which is substantially plane (111),

• the MgAl.sub.2 O.sub.4 substrate being thermal treated at a temperature above 900.degree. C. before the growth of the GaN-based epitaxial crystal layer so that the plane (111) of the MgAl.sub.2 O.sub.4 substrate is parallel with plane (0001) of the GaN-based epitaxial crystal layer, and plane (112) of the MgAl.sub.2 O.sub.4 substrate is parallel with plane (1100) of the GaN-based epitaxial crystal layer.

A semiconductor light emitting device comprising:

• an MgAl.sub.2 O.sub.4 substrate a plane orientation of which is substantially plane (111);
• and
• an Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x-y In.sub.y N crystal layer which is epitaxially grown on the MgAl.sub.2 O.sub.4 substrate, and a plane orientation of a grown surface of which is substantially plane (0001).