SEMICONDUCTOR LASER

A semiconductor laser includes a semiconductor substrate, an active region provided over the semiconductor substrate and having an active layer and a first diffraction grating, and a guiding region provided over the semiconductor substrate and having a guiding layer continuously extending from the active layer in an optical axis direction and a second diffraction grating continuously extending from the first diffraction grating in the optical axis direction. A grating period of the second diffraction grating is uniform, the first diffraction grating has a first part in which a grating period becomes uneven, and a grating formation density of the first diffraction grating is smaller than the grating formation density of the second diffraction grating.