Abstract: A hybrid objective lens has a refractive lens and a diffractive optical element constructed by plural coaxial ring-shaped zones on at least one optical surface thereof. When n1, n2 and n3 each is a diffraction order of a diffracted ray having a maximum light amount among diffracted rays of each of first, second and third light flux having wavelength ?1, ?2 and ?3 when respective light flux comes to be incident into the diffractive structure respectively, the following formulas are satisfied: |n1|>|n2|, and |n1|>|n3|, and the hybrid objective lens converges a n1-th, n2-th and n3-th order diffracted ray of the first, second and third light flux onto an information recording plane of each of the first, second ant third optical information recording medium respectively so as to form an appropriate wavefront within respective prescribed necessary image side numerical apertures.

Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus includes first, second and third light sources; a light converging optical system including a first objective optical element and a second objective optical element, wherein the first objective optical element converges the light flux emitted from the first light source on a first information recording surface, the second objective optical element converges the light flux emitted from the third light source on a third information recording surface, and the first objective optical element or the second objective optical element converges the light flux emitted from the second light source on a second information recording surface; a lens holder holding the first objective optical element and the second objective element therein; and a chromatic aberration correcting element which corrects a chromatic aberration caused by a wavelength variation in a light flux emitted by the first light source.

Abstract: An objective is used in an optical pickup apparatus which conducts reproducing and/or recording information for three different types of optical information recording media each having different thickness protective substrate by using three different wavelength light fluxes respectively. The objective comprises a first diffractive structure and in which the diffraction order for the maximum diffraction efficiency is the same for all of light fluxes, and a second diffractive structure that diffracts the second light flux without diffracting the first and third light fluxes.

Abstract: An optical system has an expander lens and an objective lens. The following formula is satisfied: W1CM>W2CM, where W1CM is a coma aberration (?rms) of a converged light spot when an off-axial light flux of a wavelength ? (nm) emitted so as to converge at a distance position from the optical axis comes into the objective lens, and W2CM is a coma aberration (?rms) of a converged spot when an off-axial light flux of the wavelength ? (nm) emitted so as to converge at the distant position distant comes through the expander lens into the objective lens on a condition that the optical axis of the expander lens is arranged so as to conform with the optical axis of the objective lens.

Abstract: A display device operating in accordance with a sub-field process, includes a first block which varies the number of bits of a received image signal, a second block which calculates an average picture level (APL) of images defined by the image signal transmitted from the first block, a third block which converts the image signal into sub-field coding data, and outputs the sub-field coding data to a display panel, and a fourth block which receives the average picture level from the second block, converts the received average picture level to the number of sustaining pulses, transmits the number of sustaining pulses to the display panel, and transmits the number of sustaining pulses to the third block, wherein the third block selects the number of bits of a signal to be input thereinto, in accordance with the number of sustaining pulses received from the fourth block.

Abstract: A capacitor module incorporating a ceramic capacitor having terminal members for reducing stress caused by thermal stress or electrostriction in the ceramic capacitor itself, and a semiconductor device using the capacitor module. The capacitor module and the semiconductor device are designed to have a reduced size and improved reliability.

Abstract: A reference voltage generation circuit generates a reference voltage. An internal voltage generation circuit generates an internal voltage on the basis of the reference voltage generated by the reference voltage generation circuit. A first trimming circuit trims the internal voltage. During trimming of the internal voltage, the first trimming circuit trims an externally supplied first target voltage in accordance with first trimming data. The first trimming circuit ends the trimming when the first target voltage meets a given condition for the reference voltage.

Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus for conducting at least recording or reproducing of information on two types of optical information recording media having protective substrates with different thicknesses, includes: a first light source for emitting a first light flux with a wavelength ?1; a first objective lens for converging the first light flux on an information recording surface of a first optical information recording medium when the optical pickup apparatus reproduces or records information for the first optical information medium; and a second objective lens for converging the first light flux on an information recording surface of a second optical information recording medium when the optical pickup apparatus reproduces or records information for the second optical information medium, wherein effective diameters of the first objective lens and the second objective lens are substantially same.

Abstract: A light-converging optical system has an objective lens arranged at a position to be opposite to an optical information recording medium and including at least one plastic lens, and an aberration correcting element provided on an optical path between the light source and the objective lens and structured by two groups of a positive lens and a negative lens both being a plastic lens. At least one of the positive lens and the negative lens has at least one diffractive surface on which a diffractive structure is formed and a total paraxial power of the aberration correcting element has a temperature dependency satisfying a formula of: PT1<PT0<PT2, or PT1>PT0>PT2, where PT0, PT1 and PT2 are the total paraxial power (mm?1) of the aberration correcting element under the temperature of 25° C., ?5° C. and 55° C. respectively.

Abstract: A display device operating in accordance with a sub-field process, includes a first block which varies the number of bits of a received image signal, a second block which calculates an average picture level (APL) of images defined by the image signal transmitted from the first block, a third block which converts the image signal into sub-field coding data, and outputs the sub-field coding data to a display panel, and a fourth block which receives the average picture level from the second block, converts the received average picture level to the number of sustaining pulses, transmits the number of sustaining pulses to the display panel, and transmits the number of sustaining pulses to the third block, wherein the third block selects the number of bits of a signal to be input thereinto, in accordance with the number of sustaining pulses received from the fourth block.

Abstract: An objective lens according to the present invention is an objective lens used for an optical pickup apparatus, and the objective lens includes a superimposed structure on a surface of a lens with a power in which a first optical path difference providing structure changing spherical aberration in under-corrected direction when a wavelength of an incident light flux becomes longer, and a second optical path difference providing structure changing spherical aberration in over-corrected direction when a wavelength of an incident light flux becomes longer are superimposed.

Abstract: An objective lens for recording and/or reproducing information of an optical information recording medium, comprises at lest one aspherical surface. The objective lens is a single lens and satisfies the following formulas: 0.85<NA<0.98 0.80<d/f<3.00 0.5<?1<5.8 where NA is an optical information recording medium side numerical aperture, d is a thickness (mm) on an optical axis, f is a focal length (mm) for an object locating at an infinite distance, and ?1 is an effective diameter (mm) of a light source side surface.

Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus includes: a first light source for emitting a first light flux; a second light source for emitting a second light flux; a third light source for emitting a third light flux; and an objective optical unit having a first optical path difference providing structure and a second optical path difference providing structure. Magnifications of the objective optical unit for the first-third light fluxes have almost same value. The first optical path difference providing structure provides a predefined optical path difference and changes a spherical aberration to be one of under-correction and over-correction for all of the first light flux, the second light flux, and the third light flux. The second optical path difference providing structure provides a predefined optical path difference and changes a spherical aberration to be the other of under-correction and over-correction of the spherical aberration only for the second light flux.

Abstract: An optical unit for an optical pickup apparatus for recording and or reproducing information onto or from the first to third optical recording media by applying the first to third light beams emitted from the first to third light sources, the optical unit comprises a mirror having dichroic mirror layer including reflecting surfaces 71a and 70a on both surfaces and an objective lens including a phase structure on the optical surface of the objective lens. The reflecting surface 71a of the mirror reflects the first to second light beams and guides them to the objective lens. Reflecting surface 70a reflects the third light beams and guides them to the objective lens. The phase structure on the objective lens corrects the spherical aberration of the first and the second light beams, and focuses the first light beams onto BD, the second beams onto DVD and the third beams onto CD.

Abstract: An objective is used in an optical pickup apparatus which conducts reproducing and/or recording information for three different types of optical information recording media each having different thickness protective substrate by using three different wavelength light fluxes respectively. The objective comprises a first diffractive structure and in which the diffraction order for the maximum diffraction efficiency is the same for all of light fluxes, and a second diffractive structure that diffracts the second light flux without diffracting the first and third light fluxes.

Abstract: An objective lens for use in an optical pickup apparatus has two positive lenses of a first lens arranged at a light source side and a second lens arranged at an information recording medium side and the objective lens comprises a first surface being a light source side optical surface of the first lens and a third surface being a light source side optical surface of the second lens, and at least two optical surfaces including the first surface and the third surface are made to be an aspherical surface respectively, and the objective lens satisfies the following formulas: NA?0.8 1.2 mm>f>0.3 mm ?0.06>?SAG>?0.24 ?SAG=(X1??X3?)/(NA4·f·(1+|m|)) X1?=X1·(N1?3)3/f1 X3?=X3·(N2?1)3/f2.

Abstract: An objective optical lens for use in an optical pickup apparatus, includes: an optical surface divided into at least two areas including: a central area including a first diffractive structure; and a peripheral area including a second diffractive structure, the objective lens is a single lens and is commonly used for the first to third optical information recording media, the objective lens converges diffracted light fluxes with same diffraction order generated in the first diffractive structure onto information recording surfaces of the first to third optical information recording media, respectively, the objective lens converges diffracted light fluxes with different diffraction order generated in the second diffractive structure onto information recording surfaces of the first and second optical information recording media, respectively.

Abstract: An objective optical system for use in an optical pick up apparatus in which recording and/or reproducing information is conducted for a first optical disc equipped with a protective layer having a thickness ti by using a first light flux having a first wavelength ?1 emitted from a first light source and recording and/or reproducing information is conducted for a second optical disc equipped with a protective layer having thickness t2 (t2?t1) by using a second light flux having a second wavelength ?2 (?2>?1) emitted from a second light source, comprising: an optical surface forming a first diffractive structure, wherein the first diffractive structure provides a diffractive operation for the second light flux and doesn't provide a diffractive operation for the first light flux, wherein the objective optical system satisfies the following formula (1): 0.9<WD1/WD2<1.

Abstract: An optical system for use in an optical pickup apparatus has a chromatic aberration correcting element having plural ring-shaped zones divided with a stepped section in such a way that one of the neighboring ring-shaped zones located apart from the optical axis has a longer optical path than the other one located closer to the optical axis, and an objective lens having plural ring-shaped zones divided with a stepped section shaped in the optical axis direction in such a way that the stepped section causes a optical path difference between light fluxes having passed through the neighboring ring-shaped zones. The ring-shaped zonal structure of the chromatic aberration correcting element corrects a deviation of a focal point caused by the objective lens due to a wavelength fluctuation of an incident light flux coming into the optical system.

Abstract: A light flux from the first light source forms a converged spot on first optical information recording medium by only a refraction action of the aspheric surface, or by a combination of the refraction action and an optical action given by at least one of the first phase structure and the second phase structure, a light flux from the second light source forms a converged spot on second optical recording medium by a combination of a refraction action of the aspheric surface and an optical action given by at least one of the first phase structure and the second phase structure, and a light flux from the third light source forms a converged spot on third optical recording medium by a combination of a refraction action of the aspheric surface and an optical action given by at least one of the first phase structure and the second phase structure.