It is to provide a surface emitting semiconductor laser device having a long life time and uniform light output characteristics. A periphery of an upper surface and a side surface of a mesa structure is covered with a silicon oxide nitride film 34 as an inorganic insulating film, the mesa structure comprising a lower DBR 16 of a first conductive type formed on a first primary surface of an n-type GaAs substrate 12, having formed thereon an active region 24, an upper DBR 26 containing an AlAs layer 32 as the lowermost layer, and a p-type GaAs contact layer 28.