Abstract: An optical pickup includes a light source module in which first and second light sources that emit first and second light beams of different wavelengths are integrated into a single package, an objective lens that focuses the first and second light beams to form a light spot on a recording surface of a recording medium, a light path changer that changes a path along which the first and second light beams propagate, a photodetector that receives the first and second light beams entered via the objective lens and the light path changer and detects an information signal and/or error signal, and an optical element disposed on a path along which the first and second light beams propagate to act as a lens with respect to only one of the first and second light beams so as to correct a position difference along a light propagation direction between the first and second light sources.

Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus having compatibility with a recodable compact disk (CD-R) and a digital video disk (DVD), which uses a wavelength of one of a first light beam and a second light beam according to the recording medium to be used. In the optical pickup apparatus, laser light sources emit a first light beam having a relatively shorter wavelength for the DVD and a second light beam having a longer wavelength for the CD-R, respectively. An objective lens has a predetermined focal length in accordance with the position of an information recording surface in the DVD. An optical path control unit controls the path of light beams so that the light beam emitted from one of the laser light sources is directed to the objective lens and the light output from the objective lens is directed to the optical detection unit.

Abstract: An optical pickup for a recording medium includes a light source, an objective lens, a main photodetector, and a front photodetector. The configuration of the optical pickup enables converging or diverging of light to be incident on a plate beam splitter so that light can be received at an effective light receiving region of a front photodetector without interference due to internal reflection occurring in the plate beam splitter. In the alternative, a wedge beam splitter in the optical pickup includes first and second mirror planes at a predetermined angle to transmit and reflect incident light at a predetermined ratio. In the optical pickup, an amount of light that is exactly proportional to an output power of the light source can be detected, where the output power of the light source can be accurately controlled, thereby improving a linearity of the output power of the light source.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for identifying the type of an optical recording medium are provided.

Abstract: An optical pickup device employing a signal detection unit including a hologram element having a plurality of pattern regions for diffracting and/or focusing light reflected and incident from a recording medium, a photodetector having a plurality of light receiving regions for receiving and photoelectrically converting the light diffracted by the hologram element and a signal operation unit for generating a focus error signal and/or a track error signal from a signal detected from the photodetector. The optical pickup device can implement a stable servo operation even at deviations of the photodetector, a change in the wavelength of light emitted from the light source, and/or shift of focusing means such as an objective lens, and can record and/or reproduce high-density information on/from the recording medium.

Abstract: A light emitting module packaging two light sources emitting two light beams of different wavelengths, and a compatible optical pickup device adopting the module are provided. The light emitting module includes a base, first and second light sources installed on the base, for emitting laser beams in different wavelength regions, a beam splitter and a monitoring photodetector for monitoring the optical outputs of the first and second light sources by receiving the beams emitted from the first and second light sources and split from the beam splitter in one direction.

Abstract: A circuit protects a light element and prevents a breakdown of a laser diode (LD) when electric static discharge (ESD) occurs. The circuit protects the light element in a drive to control an operation of the light element, which radiates light onto a disc. Here, the drive includes a switch between an active node of the light element and a predetermined potential so that the switch is short-circuited in a normal state, but is open when the drive operates. The light element is protected from static electricity or a surge voltage in a manufacturing process thereof or under a user environment. As a result, the probability that the light element is broken down is remarkably reduced.

Abstract: An optical pickup records information on a recordable and reproducible disk and reads information therefrom. The optical pickup includes a laser light source for emitting first laser light in case of a reproduction mode for reproducing information from the disk and emitting second laser light in case of a recording mode for recording information on the disk. A collimating lens collimates the laser light emitted from the laser light source. A chromatic aberration corrector includes prisms of respectively different material properties, for beam-shaping and dispersing the laser light collimated by the collimating lens so that chromatic aberration of an optical spot formed on the disk is corrected in which the chromatic aberration is generated by a difference between the wavelengths of the first and second laser lights. The beam-shaped and dispersed first and second laser lights are focused on the disk by an objective lens.

Abstract: An optical recording and pickup head having a flat plate lens of a staircase type diffraction grating structure is compatible with a DVD and a CD-RW.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for detecting beam power generated by a plurality of light sources, using a single device. The apparatus includes a light-receiving unit that receives the beam power generated by one of a plurality of light sources, and an amplifying unit that selects a gain, amplifies the beam power received by the light-receiving unit according to the selected gain, and outputs the beam power amplified as a detected beam power. According to the apparatus and method, received beam power (or amplification gain) is amplified by a gain determined according to the characteristics of the respective light sources. Thus, it is possible to provide the detected beam power in consideration of a sufficient dynamic range for the each light source, thereby realizing effective APC.

Abstract: A slim optical pickup apparatus which records/reads information from a recording medium includes a light source, an objective lens which focuses a beam incident from the light source on the recording medium, an optical device which is provided on an optical path between the light source and the objective lens, and converts the beam incident from the light source into a parallel beam, an optical axis shifting unit which is provided on an optical path between the optical device and the objective lens, and shifts an optical axis of the parallel beam passing through the optical device in parallel in a direction, a reflecting mirror which is provided on an optical path between the optical axis shifting unit and the objective lens, and reflects the parallel beam passing through the optical axis shifting unit toward the recording medium, and a photodetector which receives a beam reflected from the recording medium and passed through the optical axis shifting unit, and performs a photoelectric conversion.

Abstract: A compatible optical pick-up device includes a first light source to emit a first light, a second light source to emit a second light and having a wavelength that is different from that of the first light, a first optical path converter to reflect the first light irradiated from the first light source onto an optical path, a second optical path converter to reflect the first light from the first optical path converter and transmit the second light irradiated from the second light source onto the optical path, an objective lens to converge the light received from the second optical path converter towards an optical recording medium, and a photo-detector to receive an incident light reflected by the optical recording medium. The compatible optical pick-up device reduces the difference between transmissivities depending on the polarization status of the incident light by adopting a transmission-type optical path converter such that the optical recording medium is minimally affected by the birefringence.

Abstract: A semiconductor laser for generating a laser beam and an optical pickup for recording/reproducing information using the semiconductor laser as an optical source are provided. The semiconductor laser includes an aperture member on an emitting end thereof to perform high-density memory recording/reproducing through the reduction of an optical spot. The aperture has a hole whose diameter is smaller than the width of the active region of the semiconductor laser, to thereby restrictively emit the laser beam via the hole so that the optical spot formed on an optical disk is reduced. Thus, high-density memory recording/reproducing, which is useful for miniaturized information processors, can be realized.

Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus includes a first light source to emit a first light beam having a predetermined wavelength, a first optical path changer to change a proceeding path of the first light beam, an objective lens to focus the first light beam on a recording medium, a diffraction member to divide the first light beam reflected by the recording medium into five light regions, the diffraction member having a first diffraction region having a wide width in a direction corresponding to a tangential direction of the recording medium and second through fifth diffraction regions sequentially arranged around the outside of the first diffraction region in a direction corresponding to a radial direction of the recording medium, and a first photodetector having first through fifth light receiving portions to receive the first light beam reflected by the recording medium.

Abstract: A method of controlling a balance of a photodetector capable of increasing light reception efficiency thereof in a compatible optical pickup and an apparatus thereof. The method includes installing first and second light sources in a single module; directing light supplied from the first or second light source and transmitted through a holographic optical element, an optical path changing unit, and an objective lens onto a disk corresponding to each light source, transmitting the light reflected from the disk through the objective lens, and the optical path changing unit to a photodetector, moving the photodetector so that the center of a first one of first and second spots received by the photodetector is concentric with the center of the photodetector; and moving the holographic optical element so that the center of the second received spot from the second light source is concentric with the center of the photodetector.

Abstract: An optical pickup assembly includes a base, a bobbin having an objective lens mounted thereon, the bobbin being installed at the base so as to be movable and having a pair of first side surfaces parallel to a radial direction of a disk and a pair of second side surfaces parallel to the tangential direction of a disk track, a focus coil wound around the bobbin for driving the objective lens in a focus direction, a track coil installed at the first side surfaces for driving the objective lens in a radial direction of the disk, a driving magnet installed at the base to face the first side surfaces, a tilt coil installed at the second side surfaces for driving the objective lens in response to the relative inclination between the objective lens and the disk, a first tilt magnet installed at the base such that one polarity thereof faces the tilt coil, a second tilt magnet installed at an upper portion of the first tilt magnet such that another polarity opposite to the one polarity thereof faces the tilt coil, an i

Abstract: An optical recording and pickup head having a flat plate lens of a staircase type diffraction grating structure is compatible with a DVD and a CD-RW.

Abstract: An optical disk having an improved structure is provided so that about 15 gigabytes or more can be recorded on each information recording surface. The optical disk includes at least one information substrate having an incident surface where light for recording/reproducing signals is input and a recording surface where information signals are recorded, and at least one reflection layer formed by being coated on the recording surface for reflecting at least a part of incident light. In the optical disk, assuming that the entire thickness of the optical disk is D and the distance between the incident surface and the recording surface of the information substrate is D1, the inequality 0.20≦D1/D≦0.38 is satisfied.

Abstract: An optical recording/reproducing apparatus includes an optical pickup and a signal processor. The optical pickup includes an optical splitting device which splits light emitted from a first light source into a main light beam and sub-light beams which are symmetrical with respect to the main light beam and irradiates the split light beams on a recording medium, and a light detection device which receives the main light beam and the sub-light beams reflected by the recording medium, so as to detect a tracking error signal in a three-beam method and one of a push-pull method and an improved push-pull method.

Abstract: An optical disc recording method to record data on a disc using multiple speeds by dividing a disc region into an inner circumference region and an outer circumference region depending on radii of the disc, setting a multiple recording speed for each region; setting optical recording power in a lead-in region of the inner circumference region and a lead-out region of the outer circumference region, by performing optimum power controls therein; determining in which one of the divided regions data is to be recorded using an address detected from the disc, rotating the disc at the multiple recording speed set for the one region in which the data is to be recorded, and recording the data in the one region using the set optical recording power for the one region.