In this paper we review the research progress of surface emitting lasers. A two-dimensional arrayed configuration of surface emitting lasers will open up a new era of the semiconductor laser, since it provides high power capability, parallel optical processing, and vertical optical interconnection of circuit boards. We present experimental results on vertical cavity surface emitting semiconductor lasers. In order to reduce the threshold current, some improvements have been made on the laser reflector and a circular buried heterostructure has been introduced to confine injection current more effectively. The microcavity structure, which is 7 μm long and 6 μm in diameter, yields a threshold of 6 mA. A possibility of realizing an extremely low threshold current surface emitting laser device and a densely packed two-dimensional array are suggested.