Provided is a super luminescent diode having low power consumption due to
low threshold current and a high output power in low-current operation,
which is suitable for an external cavity laser. The super luminescent
diode for use in the external cavity laser is divided into a super
luminescent diode (SLD) region and a semiconductor optical amplifier
(SOA) region to provide a light source having a low threshold current and
a nearly double output power of a conventional SLD.A super luminescent
diode-integrated reflective optical amplifier includes a substrate that
has a super luminescent diode (SLD) region and a semiconductor optical
amplifier (SOA) region for amplifying light generated from the SLD
region, an optical waveguide that has a buried heterostructure, the
buried heterostructure including an active layer extending over the SLD
and SOA regions on the substrate and tapered in the SOA region; a current
blocking layer formed around the active layer for blocking a current flow
to layers other than the active layer, the current blocking layer
including a stack of semiconductor layers having different conductivity
types; and a clad layer formed on the optical waveguide and the current
blocking layer.