Semiconductor light emitting device

Claim 1

A light emitting device comprising: a semiconductor body having two end faces, at least one of which is partially transmissive of light, a pair of substantially parallel side faces between said end faces, said body comprising: a substrate; a first confinement layer overlying a first surface of said substrate and having a flat surface; an active layer overlying said first confinement layer and having a vee-shaped groove therein extending from a surface thereof towards said flat surface of said first confinement layer and extending between said end faces; a second confinement layer overlying said active layer and filling said groove; a first electrically conducting layer overlying at least a portion of the surface of the second confinement layer; and a second electrically conducting layer overlying a portion of a second surface of the substrate; the substrate and the first confinement layer are of one conductivity type and the second confinement layer is of the opposite conductivity type and the index of refraction of the active layer at the wavelength of a light beam emitted from the device is greater than that of the first and second confinement layers.