Abstract: Coma of an objective lens occurs depending on the lens-forming condition when plural disks of different substrate thickness are recorded and reproduced. An objective lens according to this invention is not influenced by the coma even if the thickness of the substrates is changed. For this purpose, a diffraction grating whose aberration is corrected is formed on the first side of an aspheric objective lens. Due to this correction, light beams having different diffraction orders, e.g. 0th order diffracted light and +1st order diffracted light, are focused respectively on two kinds of substrates of different thickness. The whole objective lens is tilted to correct its axial coma, and the tilt angle is predetermined to be substantially identical with respect to plural substrates which are different in thickness.

Abstract: A plurality of types of ink having different wavelength characteristics are used for multiple printing of code information. When two or more types of ink are to be printed in an overlapping manner, in a region 8 in which one type of ink 4 and another type of ink 5 are printed in the overlapping manner, the ink 4 and the ink 5 are printed so as not to completely overlap each other by using a checkered pattern 9. As a result, the multiple printing can be performed without strict constraints on the wavelength characteristics of the ink.

Abstract: In an objective lens for an optical head apparatus for reading or writing an information on a recording medium such as optical disc, astigmatism is added on axial wavefront aberration so that off-axis astigmatism is to be cancelled by the axial astigmatism. At least one surface of the objective lens is a toric or cylindrical surface, and a standard deviation of astigmatism component of axial wavefront aberration is defined as Wa is to be restricted in a range of 0<Wa<0.07.lambda. (.lambda. is a wavelength of a light to be used). When the objective lens moves in a radial direction of the optical disc, a light beam enters into the objective lens in an off-axis region where the aberration is compensated by the axial astigmatism.

Abstract: An optical system for detecting a focus error signal in an optical disc according to the astigmatic method is constituted by a single lens element. This lens element has a first lens surface defined by a toric surface effective to converge the incident rays of light and also to produce an astigmatism. This lens element also has a second lens surface which has a negative power so as to form a telephoto optical system, making it possible to shorten the length of the optical system.

Abstract: A complex lens of one-piece construction has first and second lens surfaces opposite to each other. At least one of the first and second lens surfaces of the complex lens is integrally formed with a diffraction grating. This diffraction grating has a multiplicity of substantially parallel grating grooves each being of a generally triangular, sinusoidal or trapezoidal cross-section. An optical head utilizing the complex lens is also disclosed.