Abstract: An LED includes a semiconductor substrate, a first blocking layer formed on this semiconductor substrate, a second blocking layer formed on this first blocking layer, a first V-channel extending from the second blocking layer to the semiconductor substrate, and a stripe-geometry light-emitting region formed in the first V-channel. Light is emitted from the LED from one edge of the light-emitting region due to a flow of current in the light-emitting region, to which the current is confined by the blocking layers. The LED also comprises a second V-channel disposed at a certain distance from the other edge of the light-emitting region, on the optical path of the light emitted from this other edge, and an absorbing region is formed in the second V-channel. This absorbing region absorbs the light emitted from the other edge of the light-emitting region. The LED has excellent characteristics in which a stable output of spontaneously-emitted light can be obtained under a wide variety of operating conditions.