Abstract: An optical head apparatus of an optical information recording/reproducing apparatus is provided with a light source. An objective lens focuses an output light emitted by said light source on a disc optical recording medium for which a groove or a pit for tracking is provided. T photo-detector receives a reflected light reflected by said optical recording medium. A polarizing splitter unit splits said output light and said reflected light. A quarter-wave plate disposed between said polarizing splitter section and said objective lens. A birefringence compensating unit reduces a change in an amplitude of a track error signal caused by birefringence in a protective layer of said optical recording medium.

Abstract: An optical unit includes an optical system for shining a laser beam on an optical recording medium having a recording layer and a focus control reference surface. The optical system is composed of an objective lens for focusing a recording/reproducing beam emitting from a first light source in the recording layer and focusing a focus control beam emitted from a second light source on the focus control reference surface, a first lens system disposed along an optical path of the recording/reproducing beam and capable of discretely varying a focus position of the recording/reproducing beam in a direction of a thickness of the recording layer, and a second lens system disposed along an optical path common to the recording/reproducing beam and the focus control beam and capable of continuously varying focus positions of the recording/reproducing beam and the focus control beam in a direction of a thickness of the recording layer.

Abstract: An optical unit is provided with a light source; a light dividing means for dividing light emerging from the light source into a first light and a second light; a light converging means for converging the first and second lights at the same position in the recording layer in the manner that they face each other; a polarization state switching means for switching the polarization states of the first and second lights at the convergence point in the recording layer; and a light irradiation state switching means for switching between the state in which the optical cording medium is irradiated with both the first light and the second light and the state in which the optical recording medium is irradiated with only one of the first and second lights.

Abstract: To provide an optical head device and an optical information recording/reproducing device for recording/reproducing a signal on/from an optical recording medium having two recording layers without generating the disturbance on the track error signal detected with differential push-pull method even if the interval between the target layer and the non-target layer changes. The light beam emitted from a semiconductor laser is divided into a zeroth order main beam and a positive and a negative first order diffracted light sub-beams by a diffractive optical element. The light beams are applied onto a disk by an objective lens. The reflected light beam of the main beam and reflected light beams of the sub-beams from the disk are received by a photodetector. From the output of the photodetector, a differential push-pull signal is calculated, and used as a track error signal. The sub-beams become Laguerre-Gauss beams by the diffractive optical element.

Abstract: To provide an optical head device, which can detect an excellent focus error signal for a dual layer optical recording medium, and optical information recording/reproducing device. Reflected light from a dual layer optical recording medium is diffracted by a diffractive optical element divided into four regions, and is received by a photodetector. Optical spots are equivalent to negative first order diffracted light from the four regions of the diffractive optical element, and are received by four dual-divided light receiving sections, respectively, to be used for detection a focus error signal by a Foucault's method. The four dual-divided light receiving sections are provided with positive component light receiving sections for outputting the received light as a positive component of the focus error signal and negative component light receiving sections for outputting the received light as a negative component of the focus error signal, respectively.

Abstract: Polarization direction switching elements do not change the polarization direction of incoming light, in the case where a disc is an optical recording medium conforming to the HD DVD standards. At this time, light outputted from a semiconducted laser is collected on the disc by an objective lens, and reflection light from the disc is received by a light detector. In the case where the disc is an optical recording medium conforming to the BD standards, the polarization direction switching elements change the polarization directed of the incoming light by ninety degrees. At this time, light outputted from the semiconductor laser is collected on the disc by the objective lens, and reflection light from the disc is received by the light detector. Liquid crystal lenses correct spherical aberrations on an outgoing path and a returning path.

Abstract: Light emitted from a light source and having a wavelength of 400 nm is reflected by a beam splitter (BS), and converged on a disk according to a next-generation standard. Reflection light therefrom passes through the BS and is received by a photodetector. Light emitted from a light source and having a wavelength of 660 nm is reflected by the BS and passes through the BS, and converged on a disk according to a DVD standard. Reflection light therefrom passes through the BS and is received by the photodetector. About 50% of light emitted from a light source and having a wavelength of 780 nm is reflected by the BS. The light passes through the BS and is then converged on a disk according to a CD standard. Reflection light therefrom passes through the BS. About 50% of the light passes through the BS and is received by the photodetector. Thus, recording and reproduction can be performed on any of disks according to a next-generation standard, DVD standard, and CD standard.

Abstract: The light emitted from a semiconductor laser is divided by a diffractive optical element into three light beams which are 0th-order light as the main beam and ±1st-order diffracted lights as the sub-beams, and the track error signals by the main beam and the sub-beams are detected, respectively, by a differential phase detection method. By the effect of the diffractive optical element, the light intensity distributions of the main beam and the sub-beams become different when making incidence on an objective lens. Therefore, when there is radial tilt in a disk, the phases of the track error signals by the main beam and the sub-beams are shifted with each other. Based on the shift in the phases of the track error signals, radial tilt of the disk is detected.

Abstract: [Problems] To provide an optical head and an optical information recorder/reproducer in which a high signal/noise ratio can be attained for an RF signal. [Means of Solving Problems] Reflected light beam from a disc (6) is divided into three light beams, a zero order light beam and ±first order diffraction light beams by a diffraction optical element (7a). Each light beam is further divided into four light beams by a diffraction optical element (8) which is divided into four regions by two lines passing the optical axis of incident light and respectively being parallel with the radial direction and the tangential direction of the disc (6) before being received by a photodetector (10a). Zero order light beam from the diffraction optical element (7a) is used for detecting a track error signal and an RF signal by a phase difference method or a push-pull method, and ±first order diffraction light beams from the diffraction optical element (7a) is used for detecting a focus error signal by a Foucault method.

Abstract: An optical head device and an optical recording and reproducing apparatus using this optical head device, which can record information and reproduce the recorded information at any of optical recording media, such as a next generation optical recording medium, in which the wavelength of the light source is made to be shorter, the numerical aperture of the objective lens is made to be higher, and the thickness of the recording medium is made to be thinner, and conventional recording media of DVD and CD standards, are provided. A light having wavelength of 405 nm, emitted from one of optics, is inputted to an objective lens as a collimated light, and is focused on a disk having thickness of 0.1 mm. A light having wavelength of 650 nm, emitted from the other of optics, is inputted to the objective lens as a diverged light, and is focused on a disk having thickness of 0.6 mm.

Abstract: Provided is an optical head device and an optical information recording or reproducing device for performing recording or reproduction to/from a plurality of types of optical recording medium, which can obtain a stable track error signal by a small size and exhibits high efficiency. Light PD and light PC emitted from a double-wavelength light source make incidence to a diffractive optical element in the same polarization directions. Diffraction gratings have a double refractive characteristic and in these areas the polarization directions of the two light beams become orthogonal. The light of 650 nm band is divided into 0th-order light and ±1st-order diffracted light in one of the diffraction grating and transmits through the other diffraction grating. The light of 780 nm band transmits through one of the diffraction grating and is divided into 0th-order light and ±1st-order diffracted light in the other diffraction grating.

Abstract: In front of the objective lens of an optical head deice, a birefringence correction element (5a) having a first birefringence correcting section consisting of a liquid crystal polymer layer (15a) and electrodes (14a, 14b), a second birefringence correcting section consisting of a liquid crystal polymer layer (15b) and electrodes (14c, 14d), and a third birefringence correcting section consisting of a liquid crystal polymer layer (15c) and electrodes (14e, 14f) is provided. The first birefringence correcting section corrects the impact of vertical birefringence of the protective layer in an optical recording medium variable depending on the kind of an optical recording medium, and the second and third birefringence correcting sections correct the impact of the recording medium protective layer in-plane birefringence that varies by the kind of the optical recording medium.

Abstract: Light outputted from a semiconductor laser (1) passes through a liquid crystal diffraction optical element (2a) as 0-order light and is collected to a disc (5). Reflection light from the disc (5) is diffracted by the liquid crystal diffraction optical element (2a) as ±primary diffracted light and received by optical detectors (6a, 6b). When information is being recorded on the disc (5), light entered the liquid crystal diffraction optical element (2a) from the side of the semiconductor laser (1) is outputted to the side of an objective lens (4) from the liquid crystal diffraction optical element (2a) at a high efficiency.

Abstract: Provided are an optical head device and an optical information recording/reproducing device, which can record/reproduce information to/from at least three kinds of optical recording media of different standards. A light beam emitted from a semiconductor laser is converged on a disk by an objective lens, and a reflected light beam from the disk is received by a photodetector. The optical system includes a liquid crystal refracting lens which can change the focal distance continuously within a predetermined range. The liquid crystal refracting lens has an electrode, and corrects, when the voltage applied to the electrode is changed, such a spherical aberration in the emitting light as changes with the kind of the disk. Moreover, a liquid crystal aperture control element has an electrode, and changes the effective numerical aperture of the objective lens in accordance with the kind of the disk, when the voltage applied to the electrode is changed.

Abstract: An optical head unit includes, apart from an objective lens toward a light source, an optical device that changes the image height of light incident onto the objective lens, wherein the optical device includes a concave lens and a convex lens. The objective lens is designed so that a coma aberration having a specific polarity occurs if the optical axis of the incident light tilts toward a specific direction. If the disk tilts, the convex lens is moved within the plane perpendicular to the optical axis, to change the image height of the light incident onto the objective lens, to thereby tilt the optical axis of light exiting from the convex lens with respect to the optical axis of light incident onto the concave lens. The objective lens generates a coma aberration having a polarity opposite to the polarity of the coma aberration attributable to the tilt of disk, to thereby cancel the coma aberration attributable to the tilt.

Abstract: Semiconductor lasers emit lights having wavelengths of about 400 nm, 650 nm, and 780 nm, respectively. A transmittance adjustment element is provided in an optical path of the light reflected from a disk. The transmittance adjustment element includes a first optical thin film that changes transmittance of a 650-nm-wavelength light relatively to transmittance of 400-nm- and 780-nm-wavelength lights, and a second optical thin film that changes transmittance of a 780-nm-wavelength light relatively to transmittance of 400-nm- and 650-nm-wavelength lights. The transmittance adjustment element has the function of maintaining constant the intensity of light incident onto a photodetector irrespective of the type of medium.

Abstract: Light output from a laser is split into a first beam which is reflected light and a second beam which is transmitted light, by a polarization beam splitter. The polarization directions of the first beam and the second beam are orthogonal to each other. A disk includes a recording layer, a quarter wavelength plate layer, and a reflective layer. When information is recorded on the disk, the first beam, which travels inside the recording layer to the side of the reflective layer, and the second beam, which passes through the recording layer and is reflected at the reflective layer and travels inside the recording layer to the side opposite to the reflective layer, are focused on the same position. When information is reproduced from the disk, the second beam is blocked by a shutter, and the first beam reflected at the recording layer is received by a photodetector.

Abstract: A diffractive optical element generates main and two sub beams from an output light of a light source. An objective lens focuses the main and two sub beams on an optical recording medium. An optical detector receives the main and two sub beams reflected by the optical recording medium. The diffractive optical element is divided into six regions having different optical characteristics by a tangential direction division line corresponding to the tangential direction of the optical recording medium, first and second radial direction division lines corresponding to the radial direction thereof. A light in the first sub beam passing an intersection of the first radial and tangential direction division lines passes a region near the center of the objective lens. A light in the second sub beam passing an intersection of the second radial and the tangential direction division lines passes a region near the center of the objective lens.

Abstract: Between a semiconductor laser and a polarization beam splitter, a polarization direction control element, including a liquid crystal polymer layer divide into a plurality of concentric circle regions having different optical axis directions, is provided. A voltage is applied to the liquid crystal polymer layer at the time of recording. Since the polarization direction control element acts as a full wavelength plate for incident light, the light exiting the polarization beam splitter has an intensity distribution identical to that of the incident light and the rim strength in objective lens lowers. No voltage is applied to the liquid crystal polymer layer at the time of reproduction.

Abstract: [Problems] An optical head device and an optical information recording or reproducing apparatus are provided to detect an excellent track error signal for two-layer optical recording medium. [Means for Solving Problems] Reflecting light of a main beam and sub-beams reflected from a disc is diffracted by a diffractive optical element (9a) and then received by a photodetector. The diffractive optical element (9a) is divided into regions (13a) to (13d) by two lines in parallel with radial and tangential directions passing through an optical axis of incident light. Diffracting gratings pitches at the regions (13a) to (13d) become wider in order.