Semiconductor laser

1. A semiconductor laser comprising:

a semiconductor layer sequence having an n-conducting n-region, a p-conducting p-region and an intermediate active zone that generates laser radiation,

an electrically conductive p-contact layer that impresses current directly into the p-region and is made of a transparent conductive oxide, and

an electrically conductive and metallic p-contact structure located directly on the p-contact layer,

wherein

the semiconductor layer sequence comprises two facets forming resonator end faces for the laser radiation,

in at least one current-protection region directly on at least one of the facets a current impression into the p-region is suppressed,

the p-contact structure terminates flush with the associated facet so that the p-contact structure does not protrude beyond the associated facet and vice versa, and

the p-contact layer is removed from at least one of the current-protection regions and in this current-protection region the p-contact structure is in direct contact with the p-region,

in said at least one current-protection region, the p-contact layer becomes continuously thinner towards the associated facet.

2. The semiconductor laser according to claim 1 , wherein

the p-contact layer is only partially removed in at least one current-protection region, and

a thickness of the p-contact layer decreases in a direction towards the facet and the p-contact layer is completely removed directly at the associated facet.

3. The semiconductor laser according to claim 1 , wherein, in the direction perpendicular to the associated facet, the current-protection region has an extent of at least 0.5 μM and at most 100 μm and additionally at most 20% of a resonator length for the laser radiation.

4. The semiconductor laser according to claim 1 , which is a strip laser with a ridge waveguide.

5. A semiconductor laser comprising:

a semiconductor layer sequence having an n-conducting n-region, a p-conducting p-region and an intermediate active zone that generates laser radiation,

an electrically conductive p-contact layer that impresses current directly into the p-region, and

an electrically conductive and metallic p-contact structure located directly on the p-contact layer,

wherein

the semiconductor layer sequence comprises two facets forming resonator end faces for the laser radiation,

in at least one current-protection region directly on at least one of the facets a current impression into the p-region is suppressed,

the p-contact structure terminates flush with the associated facet so that the p-contact structure does not protrude beyond the associated facet and vice versa, and

the p-contact layer is removed from at least one of the current-protection regions and in this current-protection region the p-contact structure is in direct contact with the p-region,

in said at least one current-protection region, the p-contact layer becomes continuously thinner towards the associated facet,

the semiconductor layer sequence extends unaffected from the current-protection region until the facet provided with the current-protection region so that the active zone, the p-conducting p-region and the n-conducting n-region extend with a constant thickness over the whole semiconductor layer sequence until said facet, and

the p-contact structure is in direct contact with the p-contact layer and the p-conducting p-region, respectively, until the facet.

6. The semiconductor laser according to claim 5 , wherein the region in which the p-contact layer is completely removed has an extent in the direction perpendicular to this facet of at least 2 μm and of at most 50% of the extent of the associated current-protection region.