Abstract: A laser projection module, that may include a laser projection module cover comprising a top portion, a bottom portion and a one or more of side portions to define a cavity within the cover, wherein the top portion is configured to couple an optical lens. A lead frame may be at least partially integrated into the bottom cover portion of the laser projection module, where the lead frame includes an outer lead frame portion and an inner lead frame portion relative to the cover, wherein the inner lead frame portion is configured to couple a laser diode assembly in one area of the inner lead frame portion within the cavity.

Abstract: The invention is based on an autofocus method in which light from a light source is focused at a measurement light focus in a sample and is reflected from there and the reflected light is guided through an optical system in two light paths onto at least two detector elements. In order to achieve fast and accurate automatic focusing on the sample, it is proposed that the measurement light focus is moved in layers of the sample which reflect light to different extents, and the detector elements are arranged in such a way that, in this case, profiles of a radiation property registered by the detector elements are different and a focus position is set in a manner dependent on the profiles.

Abstract: The present invention relates to vision sensors based on an active illumination. An imaging system includes an imaging sensor and is adapted to process an image of a scene being illuminated by at least two different illumination sources each having a wavelength in the near infrared range. In a variant, the imaging system is adapted to use an illumination source having a modulation frequency below the modulation frequency used to perform a three dimensional time of flight measurement. In a variant, the imaging system is adapted to acquire a reduced number of samples per frame than used in time of flight measurements.

Abstract: A configuration for preventing a recording error when a data recording process is performed on both lands and grooves of an optical disc is realized. An information processing device includes a data processing unit configured to control a data recording process on both lands and grooves of an optical disc. The data processing unit performs a process of detecting or matching positions at which data recording states of grooves or lands on both sides adjacent to a data recording target land or groove match when data are recorded on the lands or the grooves. The data processing unit performs, for example, a dummy data recording process or a skipping process as the process of matching the data recording states of the grooves or the lands on both sides adjacent to the data recording target land or groove.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a semiconductor element, a terminal and a solder outflow prevention part. The semiconductor element is fixed on one side of the substrate via a first solder layer. The terminal that is fixed on the one side of the substrate via a second solder layer. The solder outflow prevention part is formed between the semiconductor element and the terminal in the one side of the substrate and is configured to prevent the first solder layer and the second solder layer from outflowing. A distance between the solder outflow prevention part and the semiconductor element is longer than a thickness of the first solder layer.

Abstract: A laser system includes a laser generation element and a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal generator that uses a clock to generate a control signal having a period based on the clock frequency and includes a pulse width between a rising edge and a falling edge. The system also includes a switch mode power supply controlled by the control signal output by the PWM signal generator for providing power to the laser generation element based on the control signal. Also, the system includes a signal modification circuit that selectively delays the rising edge of each period of the control signal by one of one or more selectable durations thereby reducing the pulse width by a quantity, wherein the quantity is smaller than a minimum increment amount that the pulse width is able to change based on the clock frequency.

Abstract: A device (10) for energy-based skin treatment is provided. The device (10) comprises a light source (18) for providing polarized incident light (21) having an incident polarization, optical elements (11, 12, 13) for focusing the polarized incident light (21) in a focal point (22) within a collagen layer of the skin (30), a polarization-sensitive detection unit (41, 42) for selectively detecting a selected polarization component of light of a generated harmonic (23) of the polarized incident light (21) returning from the skin (30), and a processor, at least being coupled to the polarization-sensitive detection unit (41, 42), for determining a depth of the focal point (22) within the collagen layer based on the detected selected polarization component.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing microcarriers comprising the following steps: (a) providing a wafer having a sandwich structure comprising a bottom layer, a top layer and an insulating layer located between said bottom and top layers, (b) etching away the top layer to delineate lateral walls of bodies of the microcarriers, (c) depositing a first active layer at least on a top surface of the bodies, (d) applying a continuous polymer layer over the first active layer, (e) etching away the bottom layer and the insulating layer, (f) removing the polymer layer to release the microcarriers.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing microcarriers, the method comprising the steps of providing a wafer having a bottom layer, a top layer and an insulating layer, structuring the top layer to define at least one three-dimensional structure on the top surface of the top layer, etching away the top layer to delineate lateral walls of bodies of the microcarriers, applying a continuous polymer layer over the top surface of the bodies of the microcarriers, removing the bottom layer and the insulating layer, structuring the bottom surfaces of the bodies of the microcarriers to define at least one three-dimensional structure on the bottom surface of each body, and removing the polymer layer to release the microcarriers.

Abstract: A charge control system of one or more batteries B is electrically connected with one or more solar panels S, so configured to obtain the maximum transfer of power from such one or more solar photovoltaic panels S and for controlling the charge of the one or more batteries B. The control system includes: at least one tracking device of the point of maximum power or MPPT 2 adapted to adjust one of its input impedance seen from panels S for a power adaptation with panel S; at least one protection circuit of the system 3 adapted to avoid damages to the charge control system caused by inverted currents, coming from such battery B and from one or more electric equipment 8 connected with it.

Abstract: Devices that include a near field transducer (NFT); a gas barrier layer positioned on at least a portion of the NFT; and a wear resistance layer positioned on at least a portion of the gas barrier layer wherein the gas barrier layer includes tantalum oxide (TaO), titanium oxide (TiO), chromium oxide (CrO), silicon oxide (SiO), aluminum oxide (AlO), titanium oxide (TiO), zirconium oxide (ZrO), yttrium oxide (YO), magnesium oxide (MgO), beryllium oxide (BeO), niobium oxide (NbO), hafnium oxide (HfO), vanadium oxide (VO), strontium oxide (SrO), or combinations thereof; silicon nitride (SiN), aluminum nitride (Al), boron nitride (BN), titanium nitride (TiN), zirconium nitride (ZrN), niobioum nitride (NbN), hafnium nitride (HfN), chromium nitride (CrN), or combinations thereof silicon carbide (SiC), titanium carbide (TiC), zirconium carbide (ZrC), niobioum carbide (NbC), chromium carbide (CrC), vanadium carbide (VC), boron carbide (BC), or combinations thereof or combinations thereof.

Abstract: The invention combines several techniques applying high-resolution photosensitive emulsions for the long-term, archival storage of data, images and text. Data is stored as vertical interference patterns of multiple frequencies in a photographic emulsion. Read-out of the stored data uses a precision mechanism to locate and decode stored data.

Abstract: An information device is an information device that records information on or reproduces information from an information recording medium (3). The information device includes a light source (14) and a near-field light generating element (9) including a resonating section (22) configured such that plasmon resonance occurs between the resonating section (22) and a recording region (4). The resonating section (22) causes the plasmon resonance when emission light from the light source is irradiated on the near-field light generating element (9). A resonance enhancing film enhances the plasmon resonance between the resonating section (22) and the recording region (4). The resonating section (22) generates near-field light and irradiates the near-field light on the recording region (4) from a recording layer side.

Abstract: A light source device configured as a master oscillator power amplifier includes a mode locked laser unit having an external resonator and a semiconductor optical amplifier that amplifies and modulates laser light emitted from the mode locked laser unit. The width in a lateral direction of a waveguide on an incident side of the semiconductor optical amplifier is set so that a horizontal lateral mode of the waveguide on the incident side of the semiconductor optical amplifier becomes multiple modes, and a magnification conversion unit that converts a magnification of incident light from the mode locked laser unit to the semiconductor optical amplifier is disposed so that a basic mode is selectively excited in optical coupling on the incident side of the semiconductor optical amplifier.

Abstract: A surface emitting semiconductor laser includes a first semiconductor multilayer reflector of a first conductivity type, an active area, a second semiconductor multilayer reflector of a second conductivity type, a current confinement layer having a conductive area and a surrounding high-resistance area, each provided on a substrate, and a higher-order transverse mode suppressing layer formed on an emission surface from which laser light is emitted and in an area in which higher-order transverse mode is induced. The higher-order transverse mode suppressing layer includes first to third insulation films having first to third refractive indices, respectively, formed on each other, and capable of transmitting an oscillation wavelength. The second refractive index is lower than the first refractive index. The third refractive index is higher than the second refractive index. The optical film thickness of the first to third insulation films is an odd number times one-fourth of the oscillation wavelength.

Abstract: An optical disc device comprising: a controller for reading data from an optical disc having a plurality of recording layers, wherein: the controller, in shifting a focus of the laser light from a first layer to a second layer, performs a first change that changes a setting on the high frequency signal to a predetermined value at which the high frequency signal is superimposed to suppress peak power of the drive signal if a light density of the second layer is higher than a light density of the first layer; the controller shifts the focus from the first layer to the second layer; and the controller, after the focus has been shifted, performs a second change that changes the setting on the high frequency signal to a predetermined value at which the high frequency signal is superimposed to increase the peak power of the drive signal.

Abstract: An optical information reproducing apparatus includes: an irradiation section irradiating a light beam onto an optical information recording medium, in which holes are formed along a virtual track on a recording medium, along the virtual track; a light receiving section receiving a reflected light beam when the light beam is reflected by the optical information recording medium and sequentially generating a light receiving signal corresponding to the light intensity; a detection section detecting a variation pattern appearing when a signal level of the light receiving signal changes according to the hole; and a code string generating section, when generating a code string corresponding to the signal level, generating a code corresponding to the one hole from the variation pattern if the variation pattern falls within a range and generating a code string, which includes a plurality of codes, from the variation pattern if the variation pattern exceeds the range.

Abstract: An optical element and an information storage device including the same. The optical element may include an optical waveguide structure for transforming circularly polarized light into plasmon and transmitting the plasmon. The optical waveguide structure may emit a circularly polarized plasmonic field. The optical element may be used in an information storage device. For example, the information storage device may include a recording medium and a recording element for recording information on the recording medium, and the recording element may include the optical element. The information may be recorded on the recording medium by using the circularly polarized plasmonic field generated by the optical element.

Abstract: A recordable information consists of a flat polycarbonate disk having two main faces and a light sensitive film covering one main face and on which information may be recorded. The film is multi-layered with at least two elementary superposed layer respectively containing one element A and one element B, one of the layers containing an element chosen in the Group IIIa, while the other layer contains an element chosen in Groups Va or VIa; or one of layers contains an element from Groups IIa or IIb while the other layer contains an element from Group VI. The thickness of each layer is nearly identical and the overall thickness of the light-sensitive film being at least equal to 35 nm. A burning process for safely and durably recording information on such a medium is also disclosed.

Abstract: A semiconductor light emitting device downsized by devising arrangement of connection pads is provided. A second light emitting device is layered on a first light emitting device. The second light emitting device has a stripe-shaped semiconductor layer formed on a second substrate on the side facing to a first substrate, a stripe-shaped p-side electrode supplying a current to the semiconductor layer, stripe-shaped opposed electrodes that are respectively arranged oppositely to respective p-side electrodes of the first light emitting device and electrically connected to the p-side electrodes of the first light emitting device, connection pads respectively and electrically connected to the respective opposed electrodes, and a connection pad electrically connected to the p-side electrode. The connection pads are arranged in parallel with the opposed electrodes.

Abstract: When an optical pickup used an optical disk device is formed, a PWB (Printed Wiring Board) which serves as a top cover is used at at least a part of a surface of a housing which houses the optical pickup, the surface facing an optical disk. The PWB (Printed Wiring Board) is adapted to seal components inside the optical pickup, and to reduce the flexure of FPC (Flexible Printed Circuits). Moreover, the printed wiring board is provided with a connector which allows the connection of FPC for connection to circuits outside the optical pickup. Consequently, the slack of the FPC can be eliminated, and optical members provided inside the optical pickup can be protected without using a metal cover.

Abstract: High power optical disc drives are disclosed. The drives are configured to deliver laser energy having a power of at least about 25 mW as measured at DVD 1× write speed upon first contact with the surface of an optical disc.

Abstract: A optical pickup includes: a laser diode; a driver including a first output end of a laser diode drive current; a first line electrically connected to the first output end of the driver and a first port of the laser diode; a second line provided adjacent to the signal line at at least one location or more and electrically connected to a second port of the laser diode; a printed circuit board including the first and second lines; and a metal heat dissipation cover for the driver. The first and second lines form a two layer structure in which the first and second lines are vertically disposed. The line width of the line provided close to the heat dissipation cover is wider than the line width of the other line between the first and second lines in the two layer structure.

Abstract: Provided is an objective optical element which can appropriately correct degradation from spherical aberration upon fluctuation of a light source wavelength while maintaining light use efficiency, just by changing the magnification of the objective optical element, and which can record/reproduce information to/from different optical discs. Also provided is an optical pickup device using the objective optical element. When a light flux having two different wavelengths ?11, ?12 (wherein ?11<?12 and ?12??11=5 nm) within a range of wavelength ?1 is introduced to the objective optical element to measure the wavefront aberration, the following third order and fifth order spherical aberrations in unit of ?rms are obtained: SA3(?11), SA5(?11), SA3(?12), SA5(?12). If ?SA3=|SA3(?12)?SA3(?11)|, ?SA5=|SA5(?12)?SA5(?11)|, the following expression is satisfied 0.18>?SA3>?SA5>0 (1).

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer has a plurality of patterned thermally-assisted recording (TAR) head structures. Each TAR head structure includes a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). The semiconductor substrate serves as an extended cavity for the VCSEL. Each TAR head structure also includes a conventional read head and write head, and an optical waveguide with a grating coupler and a near-field transducer (NFT).

Abstract: A vertical cavity surface emitting laser includes a semiconductor substrate, a first semiconductor multilayer film reflector of a first conductivity type laminated on the semiconductor substrate, a resonator, and a second semiconductor multilayer film reflector of a second conductivity type laminated on the resonator. In each of the first and second semiconductor multilayer film reflectors, a pair of a high-refractive-index layer and a low-refractive-index layer is stacked. The resonator includes an active layer laminated on the first semiconductor multilayer film reflector. The resonator includes a pair of spacer layers and a resonator extending region. A composition of at least a layer included in the resonator extending region is different from any of compositions of the semiconductor substrate, the first semiconductor multilayer film reflector, and the second semiconductor multilayer film reflector.

Abstract: In a recording and reproducing apparatus, an optical disc is rotated in a rotating direction and an optical system focuses a laser beam on the optical disc to form a beam spot on the optical disc. The optical system is provided with a scanner which deflects the laser beam along a radial direction of the optical disc in such a manner that the beam spot follows a first scan trajectory along a first direction crossing the rotating direction and a second scan trajectory along a second direction different from the first direction. A first data track with a sequence of recording pits along the first scan trajectory is formed and arranged on the optical disc.

Abstract: When information is recorded or reproduced on or from an optical information medium having three or more recording layers using blue light, interference by another layer light is reduced and, when information is reproduced from an optical information medium using red light, an S/N ratio is held excellently high.

Abstract: An optical-pickup apparatus configured to prevent noise caused by return light by superposing a high-frequency signal, generated from a high-frequency signal generation circuit, on a driving signal to be supplied to a laser diode, the optical-pickup apparatus includes: a high-frequency superimposition integrated circuit including the high-frequency signal generation circuit; first wiring connected between an anode of the laser diode and the high-frequency superimposition integrated circuit; and second wiring connected between a cathode of the laser diode and the high-frequency-superimposition integrated circuit, the laser diode and the high-frequency superimposition integrated circuit mounted on a circuit board, the first wiring and the second wiring arranged, for the most part, in a region where the laser diode is arranged, the second wiring configured to pass through between an anode terminal of the laser diode and an anode terminal of a monitor diode.

Abstract: Provided are a laser irradiation apparatus, an irradiation method using the same, and a method of crystallizing an amorphous silicon film using the same. Particularly, a laser irradiation apparatus which can reduce a deviation of an intensity of a laser beam, an irradiation method using the same, and a method of crystallizing an amorphous silicon film using the same, which can improve uniformity in crystallization into a polycrystalline silicon thin film, are provided.

Abstract: Disclosed is an objective lens that favorably focuses multiple laser beams having different wavelengths on information recording layers of optical discs, and an optical pickup apparatus including the lens. The objective lens of the invention is provided with a first region for focusing laser beams of the BD, DVD and CD standards. The first region is provided with an annular zone step having a height calculated on the basis of a wavelength of the laser beam of the BD standard, and thus causes chromatic aberration of the laser beam of the DVD standard. This chromatic aberration corrects spherical aberration occurring due to a difference in thickness between coating layers of optical discs. In the invention, the curve surface shape of the first region is adjusted so that the BD and DVD standards can share the aberration for reducing the aberration of the laser beam of the DVD standard.

Abstract: In an optical pickup apparatus, a major part of an optical path of a laser beam emitted from a first semiconductor laser device and an optical path of a laser beam emitted from a second semiconductor laser device 3 are shared. The first laser beam is transmitted through a quarter wavelength plate and a second reflecting mirror and is reflected by a first reflecting mirror. With this structure, the number of parts of optical systems disposed in the optical pickup apparatus is reduced, an attachment operation of the parts becomes easier, and a time required for adjusting an optical axis is reduced. Thus, an operational efficiency is greatly improved.

Abstract: To provide a data structure contributing to managing a moving picture and a still picture efficiently and also provide an apparatus for performing recording and/or playback using such a data structure. A data processor includes: a drive unit for writing at least one still picture file on a level that is lower in hierarchy than a still picture folder of a storage medium; and a control section for generating file specifying information that specifies the storage location of each still picture file in the level and identification information for identifying each still picture file uniquely and for compiling a table that associates the file specifying information and the identification information with each other. The drive unit writes the table as a table file on the storage medium.

Abstract: A compound objective lens, an optical head device, an optical information device, and an information processing device that can inhibit the occurrence of aberration even when a light beam source wavelength shifts from the designed value. A diffraction structure having a sawtooth or stepwise cross section is formed in the region (R10) and region (R20). The height of the sawtooth or stepwise cross section formed in the region (R10) provides a light beam, which has a predetermined wavelength, with a difference in optical path length of N times the predetermined wavelength, as compared with a case of propagation in air. The height of the sawtooth or stepwise cross section formed in the region (R20) provides the light beam, which has the predetermined wavelength, with a difference in optical path length of J times the predetermined wavelength, as compared with a case of propagation in air.

Abstract: A method for producing extreme ultraviolet light includes producing a target material at a target location; supplying pump energy to a gain medium of at least one optical amplifier that has an amplification band to produce an amplified light beam; propagating the amplified light beam through the gain medium using one or more optical components of a set of optical components; delivering the amplified light beam to the target location using one or more optical components of the optical component set; producing with a guide laser a guide laser beam that has a wavelength outside of the amplification band of the gain medium and inside the wavelength range of the optical components; and directing the guide laser beam through the optical component set to thereby align one or more optical components of the optical component set.

Abstract: An optical information recording method includes emitting light having a wavelength ?1 from a first light source with a pulse width of time tw1 or more and power P1, emitting light having a wavelength ?2 from a second light source with a pulse width of time tw2, a repetition interval T, and power P2, and performing information recording by simultaneously irradiating an identical part of a recording medium with the light from the first light source and the light from the second light source, in which the wavelength ?1 and the wavelength ?2 satisfy ?1>500 nm>?2 and ?0 which is expressed as 1/?1+1/?2=1/?0 satisfies a relationship of ?0<300 nm, and emission of the first light source and emission of the second light source satisfy relationships of tw2<tw1, T<tw1, and P2>P1.

Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus includes: a circuit board; a laser diode mounted on one face of the circuit board; and a high-frequency superimposition integrated circuit arranged on the other face of the circuit board, the high-frequency superimposition integrated circuit including a high-frequency signal generation circuit, the circuit board having an area greater than or equal to an area occupied by a lead pin of the laser diode and a region smaller than or equal to twice a region where the laser diode is mounted, a high-frequency signal generated from the high-frequency signal generation circuit being superimposed on a driving signal to be supplied to the laser diode, in order to take a measure against noise caused by return light of the laser diode.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a waveguide including a core layer and first and second cladding layers positioned on opposite sides of the core layer, a plurality of slots extending through the core layer and into the first and second cladding layers, a filler material in the slots, wherein the core has a first refractive index, the cladding layers have a second refractive index lower than the first refractive index, and the filler material has a third refractive index between the first and second refractive indices, and a light source positioned to direct light onto the slots. A data storage device that includes the apparatus is also provided.

Abstract: An optical pickup (10) includes a light emitting element (11), a holding member (14), a light receiving element (18), and a base (13). The holding member (14) is fixed to the base (13) by a combined bonding portion (17). The combined bonding portion (17) is sandwiched between the holding member (14) and the base (13) so as to fix the holding member (14) to the base (13). The combined bonding portion (17) includes a first bonding portion (15) composed of a first adhesive and a second bonding portion (16) composed of a second adhesive having a higher curing shrinkage rate than the first adhesive. The first bonding portion (15) and the second bonding portion (16) are each sandwiched between the holding member (14) and the base (13), and the second bonding portion (16) is provided to cover at least a part of an outer peripheral surface of the first bonding portion (15). A difference between the curing shrinkage rate of the first adhesive and that of the second adhesive is 3.0% or less.

Abstract: A device is disclosed herein which may comprise a chamber, a source providing a stream of target material droplets delivering target material to an irradiation region in the chamber along a path between a target material release point and the irradiation region, a gas flow in the chamber, at least a portion of the gas flowing in a direction toward the droplet stream, a system producing a laser beam irradiating droplets at the irradiation region to generate a plasma producing EUV radiation, and a shroud positioned along a portion of said stream, said shroud having a first shroud portion shielding droplets from said flow and an opposed open portion.

Abstract: A semiconductor light emitting device downsized by devising arrangement of connection pads is provided. A second light emitting device is layered on a first light emitting device. The second light emitting device has a stripe-shaped semiconductor layer formed on a second substrate on the side facing to a first substrate, a stripe-shaped p-side electrode supplying a current to the semiconductor layer, stripe-shaped opposed electrodes that are respectively arranged oppositely to respective p-side electrodes of the first light emitting device and electrically connected to the p-side electrodes of the first light emitting device, connection pads respectively and electrically connected to the respective opposed electrodes, and a connection pad electrically connected to the p-side electrode. The connection pads are arranged in parallel with the opposed electrodes.

Abstract: The optical recording medium has a recording layer sensitive for recording at a first wavelength and sensitive for reading at a second wavelength, the recording layer having a groove structure, wherein at the first wavelength the groove structure has a diffraction efficiency into a first diffraction order sufficiently large to generate a push-pull signal, and at the second wavelength it has a diffraction efficiency into a first diffraction order close to zero. The optical pickup for recording on an optical recording medium intended to be read with a second wavelength and a second numerical aperture is characterized in that it has a light source for generating a light beam at a first wavelength and a numerical aperture given by the second numerical aperture multiplied with a ration of the first wavelength and the second wavelength.

Abstract: A reproducing apparatus includes: a first laser irradiation section irradiating an optical recording medium having a bulk recording layer and recording marks formed by focusing a laser beam on each predetermined layer position in the recording layer, with a first laser beam through an objective lens; a focus position adjusting section adjusting a focus position of the first laser beam; a beam receiving section receiving a reflected beam of the first laser beam from the marks and generating a light receiving signal; a reproducing section reproducing information recorded with the marks based on the light receiving signal; and a control section performing control to allow the focus position in reproduction of the information to correspond to a position shifted by a certain distance to an upper layer side from a focus position of the laser beam in forming the mark at the layer positions as a reproducing object.

Abstract: A vertical cavity surface emitting laser includes a semiconductor substrate, a first semiconductor multilayer film reflector of a first conductivity type laminated on the semiconductor substrate, a resonator, and a second semiconductor multilayer film reflector of a second conductivity type laminated on the resonator. In each of the first and second semiconductor multilayer film reflectors, a pair of a high-refractive-index layer and a low-refractive-index layer is stacked. The resonator includes an active layer laminated on the first semiconductor multilayer film reflector. The resonator includes a pair of spacer layers and a resonator extending region. A composition of at least a layer included in the resonator extending region is different from any of compositions of the semiconductor substrate, the first semiconductor multilayer film reflector, and the second semiconductor multilayer film reflector.

Abstract: [Object] To provide a durable read-only optical recording medium having less variances in characteristics of a metal reflective film due to a temporal change. [Solving Means] Provided is a read-only optical recording medium (100) including: a substrate (101); an information recording surface onto which information is recorded by combining pits (P) and lands (L); and a metal reflective film (102) that is provided in contact with the information recording surface and represented by Al100-x-zXxZz, where x and z each represent an atomic %, X is constituted of an element including at least Ti, Z is constituted of an element including at least Fe, x is 1.0 to 3.0, and z is 0.05 to 1.0.

Abstract: An optical information recording and reproducing method for recording or reproducing information by irradiating pulsed laser diode light from a laser diode (LD) light source in which the resistance value of the LD light source is measured in an operating state, the measured LD light source resistance value is compared with a target resistance value, and the LD light source is heated when the LD light source resistance value is higher than the target resistance value, in order to maintain the LD light source resistance at a specified value or less.

Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus according to the present invention 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 element. The objective optical element has an optical surface including at least two areas provided with optical path difference providing structures. The objective optical element converges the first to third light fluxes each passing through the predetermined areas on the objective optical element onto respective information recording surfaces of the first to third optical disks. The optical pickup apparatus provides a wavelength dependency of a spherical aberration so as to correct a change in a spherical aberration due to a refractive index change with a temperature change of the objective optical element.

Abstract: An optical pickup includes a first source which emits a first beam with a first wavelength; a second source which emits a second beam with a wavelength shorter than the first wavelength; a first collimate lens which collimates the first beam; a second collimate lens which collimates the second beam; a first objective lens which converges the first collimated beam onto an optical disc; and a second objective lens which converges the second collimated beam onto the disc. The first and second objective lenses are arranged in the disc radial direction. The second objective lens is arranged closer to the side of the disc outer circumference than the first objective lens. The first collimate lens is arranged on the right-hand side when the second objective lens is viewed from the first objective lens. The second collimate lens is arranged on the left-hand side when the first objective lens is viewed from the second objective lens.

Abstract: An information recording apparatus carries out DC writing on a section B to change a reflectivity from a recording surface to display a visible character or image. Next, the apparatus writes record data on each of sections A to C under a special recording condition. The special recording condition is a recording condition that: makes excellent the recording characteristics of each of the sections A to C after the record data has been recorded, and sets the pulse width of a write signal for writing a shortest mark to be shorter than an optimum pulse width.

Abstract: An optical pickup includes a light emitting component, an optical component and a base component. The light emitting component has a laser diode, a package and a holder. The package has a positioning recess formed in an outer peripheral face of the package. The holder holds the package in a fitting hole of the holder. The holder has a protrusion component that is formed in an inner peripheral face of the fitting hole of the holder and is fitted to the positioning recess of the package, and a guide component that extends from the protrusion component by a first specific height beyond an end face of the holder. The protrusion component has a width in a peripheral direction of the fitting hole that is at least equal to a width of the positioning recess of the package in a peripheral direction of the package.