Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a plastic objective lens having a good lens tilt property in both thicknesses of a two-layer disc in a used temperature range even in the plastic objective lens in which a numerical aperture (NA) is equal to or higher than 0.81, while dissolving the problem mentioned above. The objective lens includes a point at which a third order comma aberration amount generated at a time of a lens tilt of the objective lens becomes equal to a third order comma aberration amount generated at a time when a disc is tilted at the same angle amount as the lens tilt angle, in a transparent board thickness which is thicker than a larger thickness of the two-layer transparent board under a room temperature (25±3° C.).

Abstract: A pickup lens with a phase compensator is composed of a condenser lens and a phase compensator. At least one surface of the condenser lens has a step-like annular zone structure to compensate wavefront aberration generated when recording and reproducing data on an information recording medium having a substrate thickness of t1 with a laser beam having a wavelength ?1 and wavefront aberration generated when recording and reproducing data on an information recording medium having a substrate thickness of t2 with a laser beam having a wavelength ?2. The phase compensator compensates wavefront aberration generated when recording and reproducing data on an information recording medium having a substrate thickness of t3 with a laser beam having a wavelength ?3.

Abstract: An optical pickup lens focuses laser beams having different wavelengths ?1, ?2 and ?3 on at least three kinds of optical discs. At least one side of the optical pickup lens has a concentric loop zonal structure for compensating wavefront aberration occurring when recording or reproducing an optical disc having a substrate thickness t1 by the laser beam having the wavelength ?1 and wavefront aberration occurring when recording or reproducing an optical disc having a substrate thickness t2 by the laser beam having the wavelength ?2. When recording or reproducing an optical disc having a substrate thickness t3 by the laser beam having the wavelength ?3, a phase difference given to the laser beam having the wavelength ?3 due to the concentric loop zonal structure is about 0.15? or smaller.

Abstract: An optical pickup system for reading information of three kinds of optical recording media. The optical pickup system has a wavelength selective filter that includes an outer area for shielding one light beam of light beams having three kinds of wavelengths and an inner area for allowing all the light beams to pass through. The optical pickup system also has an objective lens that focuses each light beam having passed through the wavelength selective filter on each light recording medium. An optical head and an optical disk apparatus have the optical pickup system.

Abstract: When the DVD provided with the DVD substrate 2 having thickness t2 of 0.6 mm is installed in the optical disc apparatus, the light beam 4 having wavelength ?1=655 nm is used as luminous flux of numerical aperture NA=0.63 to be condensed on the information surface 2a on the DVD substrate 2. When the CD provided with the CD substrate 3 having thickness t2 of 1.2 mm is installed in the optical disc apparatus, the light beam 5 having wavelength ?2=790 nm is effectively used as luminous flux of approximate numerical aperture NA=0.45 to be condensed on the information surface 3a on the DVD substrate 3. The wavefront aberration caused by a thickness difference between the DVD substrate 2 and CD substrate 3 is canceled out by the chromatic aberration caused by a wavelength difference between the light beams 4 and 5. Therefore, in spite of the difference in the transparent substrates, the light beams are suitably condensed respectively on the information surface 2a and 3a.

Abstract: A pickup lens with a phase compensator is composed of a condenser lens and a phase compensator. At least one surface of the condenser lens has a step-like annular zone structure to compensate wavefront aberration generated when recording and reproducing data on an information recording medium having a substrate thickness of t1 with a laser beam having a wavelength ?1 and wavefront aberration generated when recording and reproducing data on an information recording medium having a substrate thickness of t2 with a laser beam having a wavelength ?2. The phase compensator compensates wavefront aberration generated when recording and reproducing data on an information recording medium having a substrate thickness of t3 with a laser beam having a wavelength ?3.

Abstract: An imaging lens unit comprising, in order from the object side, a first lens having a meniscus shape with its convex surface on the object side, an aperture stop and a second lens having a meniscus shape with its convex surface on the image side. A maximal value of a tangent angle within a range of a lens surface effective diameter of the surface on the object side of the first lens is 70 to 90 degrees. A maximal value of a tangent angle within a range of a lens surface effective diameter of the surface on the image side of the second lens is 70 to 90 degrees.

Abstract: An objective lens of this embodiment is used in an optical head in which a distance between a DVD laser and a CD laser is fixed. The objective lens focuses a laser beam emitted from the DVD laser on a DVD by a numerical aperture of 0.60, and focuses a laser beam emitted from the CD laser on a CD by an numerical aperture of 0.47. The wavefront aberration in design for CD is set greater than the wavefront aberration in design for DVD.

Abstract: A pickup lens has a plurality of ring zones on at least one surface, and steps are formed respectively between the plurality of ring zones. The plurality of steps have step differences causing laser light to have a phase difference to reduce aberration occurring in the pickup lens due to a change in ambient temperature. Further, when a numerical aperture of the pickup lens is NA, a focal length is f (mm) and a working distance is WD (mm), the pickup lens is fabricated to satisfy NA=0.85, 1.1=f=1.8 and WD=0.3.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a plastic objective lens having a good lens tilt property in both thicknesses of a two-layer disc in a used temperature range even in the plastic objective lens in which a numerical aperture (NA) is equal to or higher than 0.81, while dissolving the problem mentioned above. The objective lens includes a point at which a third order comma aberration amount generated at a time of a lens tilt of the objective lens becomes equal to a third order comma aberration amount generated at a time when a disc is tilted at the same angle amount as the lens tilt angle, in a transparent board thickness which is thicker than a larger thickness of the two-layer transparent board under a room temperature (25±3° C.).

Abstract: A pickup lens with a phase compensator is composed of a condenser lens and a phase compensator. At least one surface of the condenser lens has a step-like annular zone structure to compensate wavefront aberration generated when recording and reproducing data on an information recording medium having a substrate thickness of t1 with a laser beam having a wavelength ?1 and wavefront aberration generated when recording and reproducing data on an information recording medium having a substrate thickness of t2 with a laser beam having a wavelength ?2. The phase compensator compensates wavefront aberration generated when recording and reproducing data on an information recording medium having a substrate thickness of t3 with a laser beam having a wavelength ?3.

Abstract: An imaging lens unit comprising, in order from the object side, a first lens having a meniscus shape with its convex surface on the object side, an aperture stop and a second lens having a meniscus shape with its convex surface on the image side. A maximal value of a tangent angle within a range of a lens surface effective diameter of the surface on the object side of the first lens is 70 to 90 degrees. A maximal value of a tangent angle within a range of a lens surface effective diameter of the surface on the image side of the second lens is 70 to 90 degrees.

Abstract: When the DVD provided with the DVD substrate 2 having thickness t2 of 0.6 mm is installed in the optical disc apparatus, the light beam 4 having wavelength ?1=655 nm is used as luminous flux of numerical aperture NA=0.63 to be condensed on the information surface 2a on the DVD substrate 2. When the CD provided with the CD substrate 3 having thickness t2 of 1.2 mm is installed in the optical disc apparatus, the light beam 5 having wavelength ?2=790 nm is effectively used as luminous flux of approximate numerical aperture NA=0.45 to be condensed on the information surface 3a on the DVD substrate 3. The wavefront aberration caused by a thickness difference between the DVD substrate 2 and CD substrate 3 is canceled out by the chromatic aberration caused by a wavelength difference between the light beams 4 and 5. Therefore, in spite of the difference in the transparent substrates, the light beams are suitably condensed respectively on the information surface 2a and 3a.

Abstract: An imaging lens unit comprising, in order from the object side, a first lens having a meniscus shape with its convex surface on the object side, an aperture stop and a second lens having a meniscus shape with its convex surface on the image side. A maximal value of a tangent angle within a range of a lens surface effective diameter of the surface on the object side of the first lens is 70 to 90 degrees. A maximal value of a tangent angle within a range of a lens surface effective diameter of the surface on the image side of the second lens is 70 to 90 degrees.

Abstract: When the DVD provided with the DVD substrate 2 having thickness t2 of 0.6 mm is installed in the optical disc apparatus, the light beam 4 having wavelength ?1=655 nm is used as luminous flux of numerical aperture NA=0.63 to be condensed on the information surface 2a on the DVD substrate 2. When the CD provided with the CD substrate 3 having thickness t2 of 1.2 mm is installed in the optical disc apparatus, the light beam 5 having wavelength ?2=790 nm is effectively used as luminous flux of approximate numerical aperture NA=0.45 to be condensed on the information surface 3a on the DVD substrate 3. The wavefront aberration caused by a thickness difference between the DVD substrate 2 and CD substrate 3 is canceled out by the chromatic aberration caused by a wavelength difference between the light beams 4 and 5. Therefore, in spite of the difference in the transparent substrates, the light beams are suitably condensed respectively on the information surface 2a and 3a.

Abstract: The multi-wavelength lens for condensing a plurality of kinds of monochromatic light by refraction is disclosed. The lens comprises a common use area for all monochromatic light on at least one lens surface, the area sectioned into a plurality of aspherical zones each of which having a different refractive power; and step portions, each of which formed between adjacent aspherical zones of the plurality of aspherical zones and having a step height Dj (j=1,2,3,4, and so on, in order of closeness to a lens optical axis) in a direction parallel to the lens optical axis. At least half of the step portions satisfy a following formula when a minimum value and a maximum value of Aij for each wavelength ?i are MIN(Aij) and MAX(Aij), respectively: MAX(Aij)/MIN(Aij)<3 where, Aij=absolute(Bij?mij), Bij=(absolute(Dj))*(ni?1)/?i?C, ni is a refractive index of a lens for a wavelength ?i, mij is an integral number closest to Bij, and C is a corrective term.

Abstract: An objective lens optical system includes a light beam splitting element and an objective lens and is configured to focus a light beam with a wavelength ? on an information recording surface of a first optical recording medium as a dual/double layer disc having a transparent substrate with a thickness t1 and to focus a light beam with a wavelength ? on an information recording surface of a second optical recording medium as a dual/double layer disc having a transparent substrate with a thickness t2 (t1<t2). The light beam splitting element is sectioned into regions that are designed to focus a light beams on an information recording surface of either one of the first optical recording medium and the second optical recording medium. Either one region has a negative or positive power so that a light focus position of a light beam having passed through the first region by the objective lens and a light focus position of a light beam having passed through the second region by the objective lens are different.

Abstract: An objective lens optical system focuses a light beam with a wavelength ?1 on an information recording surface of a first optical recording medium including a transparent substrate with a thickness t1, a light beam with the wavelength ?1 on an information recording surface of a second optical recording medium including a transparent substrate with a thickness t2, and a light beam with a wavelength ?3 on an information recording surface of a third optical recording medium including a transparent substrate with a thickness t3, by using a refraction action. Sectioning the area of the objective lens optical system is applied to a compatible technique for the same wavelengths, and generating an aberration for canceling a chromatic aberration caused by a difference in wavelength ? of the light beam is applied to a compatible technique for different wavelengths.

Abstract: There is provided an optical pickup system which includes a first light source emitting first light having a wavelength ?1, a second light source emitting second light having a wavelength ?2 longer than the wavelength ?1, a third light source emitting third light having a wavelength ?3 longer than the wavelength ?2, and an objective lens focusing the first light on an information recording surface of a first optical recording medium, focusing the second light on an information recording surface of a second optical recording medium, and focusing the third light on an information recording surface of a third optical recording medium. In the optical pickup system, at least one lens surface of the objective lens is divided into a plurality of concentric sections with an optical axis, having a step at each boundary between the sections, each of the sections has a different aspherical shape and m1>m2>0 and ?0.060?m3??0.

Abstract: The present invention aims at focusing a light beam on each of a plurality of kinds of optical recording media having different thicknesses of transparent substrates with a suitable wave-optic optical spot shape. In an objective lens optical system according to the present invention, at least one surface of an aberration correction plate is sectioned into five or more zones, including a first zone closest to an optical axis serving as a common zone, and four or more zones as a second and subsequent zones respectively having a lens surface shape corresponding to the thickness of each transparent substrate.