SURFACE EMITTING LASER, SURFACE EMITTING LASER ARRAY, AND IMAGE FORMATION APPARATUS

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a surface emitting laser having a structure that can suppress the oscillation of a high-order transverse mode.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to a surface emitting laser that includes a lower DBR layer provided on a substrate; an upper DBR layer provided in an upper portion of the lower DBR layer; an active layer interposed between the lower DBR layer and the upper DBR layer; a current confinement layer for confining a current injected to the active layer are stacked on a substrate; and a barrier structure which limits the migration of majority carriers that have passed through a current confining portion, in the applied direction of the electric field, between the current confinement layer and the active layer. The barrier structure suppresses an oscillation of a high-order transverse mode by promoting the diffusion of the majority carrier in an in-plane direction.