A semiconductor laser element has a lower cladding layer of first conductivity type, an active layer, a first upper cladding layer of second conductivity type, and a second upper cladding layer of second conductivity type, which are stacked in this order on a semiconductor substrate of first conductivity type. The laser element further has a third upper cladding layer of second conductivity type and a contact layer of second conductivity type, which constitute a stripe-shaped ridge structure. A second-conductivity-type doping concentration of the second upper cladding layer is lower than those of the first and third upper cladding layers and is not higher than 1.times.10.sup.17 cm.sup.-3. A sum total of layer thicknesses of the first and second upper cladding layers is 0.3-1.5 .mu.m, inclusive. An electrode layer forms an ohmic junction with the contact layer, and a Schottky junction with the second upper cladding layer.