Abstract: A copper frame plate (2) has a central frame plate (2a) and a pair of side frame plates (2c) bent from both ends of the central frame plate. A flexible substrate (3) has a central substrate (3a) covering the central frame plate and bent substrates (3b) bent from the central substrate so as to cover the side frame plates. An optical element (4) is mounted on the central frame plate. A plurality of internal wiring terminals (9) connected to the optical element are disposed on the central substrate and arranged in the width direction (W) along which the pair of side frame plates are opposed to each other. A plurality of external wiring terminals (11) used for connection to external equipment are disposed on the bent substrates and arranged in the length direction (L) orthogonal to the width direction.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and system for recording data by a plurality of laser beams (A, B) on an optical disc, said optical disc comprising segments which (1-51) are each identified by a synchronization pattern, said plurality of laser beams comprising at least a first laser beam (A) which has a first position on said optical disc for recording/reading data on a first segment and a second laser beam (B) which has a second position on said optical disc for recording data on a second segment, said method comprising the steps of: —calculating (410) said second position from said first position and the relative distance between said first laser beam and said second laser beam, —detecting (420) a synchronization pattern by said second laser beam, and —starting (430) to record data with said second laser beam on the basis of said second position and said detected synchronization pattern.

Abstract: An optical disk apparatus includes: a semiconductor laser which emits laser light; a focusing unit which focuses the laser light emitted from the semiconductor laser onto an optical disk; a detector which receives reflected light from the optical disk; a drive unit which rotates the optical disk; and a control unit which controls the semiconductor laser and the drive unit. When the optical disk is reproduced, the control unit causes the semiconductor laser to emit the laser light by a first power realizing a relative intensity noise tolerable for the reproduction of the optical disk. And the control unit causes the drive unit to rotate the optical disk at a first linear velocity which is free from reproduction light deterioration when the semiconductor laser emits the laser light by the first power.

Abstract: A method of enhancing laser operating efficiency of a laser (50) for use in an optical data read and/or write device (10) is described. The method is distinguished in that it includes steps of: a) generating a pulse excitation signal having one or more sequences of pulses whose pulse frequency is substantially in a range of 50 MHz 250 MHz; and b) arranging for the one or more sequences of pulses to modulate excitation current through the laser (50), the pulses traversing a lasing threshold of the laser (50). The method is of benefit in that it is capable of enhancing operating efficiency of the laser (50), thereby either enabling the laser to be driven to generate more optical output or for reducing temperature rise occurring in the laser (50) when in operation.

Abstract: Provided are an optical information recording device, an optical information recording method, and an optical information recording medium which provide an appropriate recording characteristic even when a disturbance occurs during information recording. A drive forms record marks and spaces by irradiating blue-purple laser light to an optical disk, for which an organic dye exhibiting a predetermined absorption factor with respect to light having a wavelength of at or near 405 nm is used, and thus records information. For recording of information, the power of the blue-purple laser light is controlled using writing power used for forming record marks, space formation power used for forming spaces that may be higher than read power used for reproducing information recorded in an optical information recording medium, and bias power higher than read power.

Abstract: The invention relates to operating an optical drive apparatus from parameters read from an associated record carrier. Data-aided adaptation loops are often used in modern communication and storage systems. To ensure fast and robust start-up by ensuring a stable starting point in an adaptation loop and a fast convergence of the adaptation loop, an information data field is provided on, and read from by the drive, an associated optical record carrier. The information data field comprising start-up parameters, the start-up parameters comprising information about recommended write parameters and information related to a resulting channel response for the case when the recommended write parameters are used. In a start-up situation of the optical drive apparatus, the channel response of the bit detector is computed based on the start-up parameters.

Abstract: A semiconductor laser device includes: a semiconductor laser chip which is composed of a semiconductor substrate and a plurality of semiconductor layers stacked on an element formation face of the semiconductor substrate and which outputs an irradiation light for irradiating an optical disk; and a light receiving element which receives the irradiation light reflected by the optical disk as a feedback light. The semiconductor laser chip includes on one face thereof an electrode facing an optical element and is fixed in a package so that at least one of sub-beams reflected by the optical disk is incident on the one face. A chip exposing portion for exposing a region of the one face where the sub-beam is incident is formed in the electrode.

Abstract: A method of aligning an optical fiber according to the present invention has a first step of aligning an optical fiber by moving the optical fiber and finding a position that maximizes the power of beam outputted from the optical fiber with the use of a power meter, and a second step of moving and aligning the optical fiber in the optical axis direction (direction Z) from the position in which the optical fiber has been as a result of the alignment in the first step in a manner that makes the degree of polarization of two laser beams K1 and K2 equal to or lower than a given level with the use of a polarimeter.

Abstract: For a reproduction of optical sound information in a double variable-area track (DZ) an optoelectronic converter device scans the optical sound track of a film. The converter device generates a digital image signal for buffer storage in the memory of a program-controlled data processing device. The data processing device derives the profile of the two edges of the double variable-area track from data values of the buffer-stored image signal. Audio data for a sound reproduction are generated using data about the edge profile determined.

Abstract: An optical device wherein an optical component and a plurality of light emitting elements are mounted on an identical substrate, a level of a surface on which the optical component is mounted is different from that of a surface on which the light emitting elements are mounted by a step provided on the substrate, at least one plane vertical to the surface on which the optical component is mounted and located on a periphery of the substrate is opened, a reflecting surface, a transmitting surface or a diffraction grating surface of the optical component is provided along sides generated by the step provided in the substrate, optical axes of the plurality of light emitting elements of which polarization axes are in parallel with each other intersect with each other on the surface, and an exit light beam of the light emitting elements is emitted from the opened plane.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for reducing feedback noise in an optical recording/reproducing system (10) comprising a laser (18) driven by an AC and a DC current thereby generating a pulsating light (22) emitted from said laser (18) to an external cavity defining an optical length (L) from said laser (18) to an optical storage medium (12), such as a compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-Ray Disc, MiniDisc (MD), or magnetooptic disc (MOD). The optical length (L) is adjusted in accordance with the relaxation oscillation frequency.

Abstract: A first photodiode for BD receives a laser light beam separated from a laser light beam emitted from a first semiconductor laser, detects laser power of the first semiconductor laser, and outputs an output current signal. A second photodiode for DVD/CD receives a laser light beam separated from a laser light beam emitted from a second semiconductor laser, detects laser power of the second semiconductor laser, and outputs an output current signal. An output terminal of the first photodiode and an output terminal of the second photodiode are connected to each other, and the output current signal and the output current signal are both inputted to the same input terminal of the first current-voltage conversion circuit.

Abstract: An optical pickup for reading information written on an optical disk is equipped with a vertical multi-mode converted laser diode which emits light, means for focusing the emitted light from the laser diode onto the optical disk, and means for receiving reflected light from the optical disk in order to read the information written on the optical disk, wherein the coherent distance of the emitted light from the laser diode is made shorter than the optical path length of the optical pickup.

Abstract: A hybrid objective lens has a refractive lens and a diffractive optical element constructed by plural coaxial ring-shaped zones on at least one optical surface thereof. When n1, n2 and n3 each is a diffraction order of a diffracted ray having a maximum light amount among diffracted rays of each of first, second and third light flux having wavelength ?1, ?2 and ?3 when respective light flux comes to be incident into the diffractive structure respectively, the following formulas are satisfied: |n1|>|n2|, and |n1|>|n3|, and the hybrid objective lens converges a n1-th, n2-th and n3-th order diffracted ray of the first, second and third light flux onto an information recording plane of each of the first, second ant third optical information recording medium respectively so as to form an appropriate wavefront within respective prescribed necessary image side numerical apertures.

Abstract: A single mode laser beam output from a single mode semiconductor laser and a multimode laser beam output from a multimode semiconductor laser are combined with each other by a polarization beam splitter, the combined laser beam is used by a deflection scanning mechanism to perform main scanning, and an image of the combined laser beam is formed on a surface of a thermal recording medium by a scanning lens.

Abstract: In the optical pickup device, a luminous flux emitted from a blue-violet laser as S wave to a blue-violet PBS, passes through a half-wave plate, and is reflected by the blue-violet PBS and a total reflection mirror, before being applied to a BD disc via an objective lens. Luminous fluxes, which were emitted respectively from an infrared laser emitting device and a red laser emitting device and were reflected respectively by infrared and red PBSs, among aligned infrared, red and blue-violets PBSs, before reaching the blue-violet PBS, are reflected by the blue-violet PBS. The luminous fluxes emitted from the blue-violet laser emitting device as P waves pass the blue-violet PBS, and are respectively applied to a CD disc, a DVD disc, or a HD-DVD disc via an diffractive object lens. Thus, it becomes possible to write or read access to four kinds of discs with three wavelengths.

Abstract: An optical system for use in an optical pickup apparatus comprises a first optical surface having a superposition type diffractive structure including a plurality of ring-shaped zones which are formed concentrically around an optical axis, wherein each ring-shaped zone is composed of a plurality of stepped sections stepwise, and a second optical surface having a diffractive structure including a plurality of ring-shaped zones which are formed concentrically around an optical axis, wherein each of the plurality of ring-shaped zones are divided by a stepped section to generate a diffractive light ray of diffractive order whose absolute value is not small than 1 for the light flux.

Abstract: A laser control unit, a laser control circuit and a laser-power adjustment method are provided which are capable of controlling laser power precisely, even if an error is produced in the duty of an optical pulse.

Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus is provided with a dividing element having a plurality of regions. The dividing element is capable of dividing a light flux reflected by the optical disc into a plurality of light fluxes having different outgoing directions. Each region of the dividing element and light receiving parts of a light detector are structured such that when a target information recording layer of the optical disc is brought into focus, a light flux reflected from the target information recording layer is focused on the light receiving parts of the light detector, and a light flux reflected from other information recording layer than the target information recording layer is not irradiated onto the light receiving parts of the light detector.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical head for realizing the stable operation by controlling the temperature of the semiconductor laser to a low level by reducing the heat transfer rate from a laser driver IC to a housing in the vicinity of a semiconductor laser, and an optical disc drive using the same. It provides an optical head having a semiconductor laser and a photo detector arranged on one side with respect to a straight line through the center of an object lens of an object lens actuator and in parallel to the axis contacted with bearings, and a laser driver IC arranged on the other side with respect to the straight line. Thereby, the distance from the laser driver IC to the semiconductor laser can sufficiently be ensured so that the heat transfer rate from the laser driver IC to the housing can be reduced.

Abstract: A digital data storage medium comprises data in the form of particles which are spectrally coded. The particles generally have the same size and shape. The particles are spectrally coded by tailoring metal species to have specific absorption signature. The size, shape and metal species are selected to increase storage density.

Abstract: Optical pick-up units and laser drivers are disclosed, which can be used in various types of information recording/reproducing apparatuses, such as, but not limited to, DVD and CD drives, DVD camcorders, and DVD video recorders. A laser driver integrated circuit (LDIC) includes an automatic power controller, a running optical power controller, and a write strategy generator. The LDIC can be part of a chip-set, to be located on an optical pick-up unit (OPU). The chip-set can also include a power monitor integrated circuit (PMIC) to monitor the laser diode, and a photo-detector integrated circuit (PDIC) to detect light produced by the laser diode. The PMIC and the PDIC each include their own offset, gain and sample-and-hold circuitry.

Abstract: Providing an objective lens with a large numerical aperture (NA), the present invention records or plays conventional optical disks such as CDs and DVDs at high light usage efficiency, using an optical head capable of recording or reproducing high-density optical disks. A diffraction optical element (8) is disposed in a light path of a first light beam of a first wavelength ?1 (400 nm to 415 nm) and a second light beam of a second wavelength ?2 (650 nm to 680 nm). And, the present invention principally emits 5th order diffracted light with respect to the first light beam, and principally emits 3rd order diffracted light with respect to the second light beam, from the diffraction optical element (8). Thus, a high diffraction efficiency of substantially 100% can be obtained with respect to both wavelengths.

Abstract: An optical pickup for reading information written on an optical disk is equipped with a laser diode having a front facet which emits light, a parallel light ray portion which collimates the emitted light from the laser diode, means for focusing collimated output light onto the optical disk, means for receiving reflected light from the optical disk, and an optical element having an index of refraction of 1 or higher for adjusting the length of the optical path between the front facet of the laser diode and the optical disk, wherein the optical element is inserted in the parallel light ray portion when the optical path length lies within the range of the expression“(n?0.5±0.25)×the effective cavity length of the laser diode” (where n is a positive integer) in order to reduce the noise in the emitted light of the laser diode.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical pick-up device capable of being miniaturized by reducing the number of components. The present invention provides an optical pick-up device including a light-emitting device having an organic compound that emits laser light upon applying current. The light-emitting device interposes an organic compound layer between a pair of electrodes. The organic compound layer, which is a main component, has a layer configuration for emitting a laser beam. In the layer configuration, the thickness of each layer is determined in consideration of the wavelength of laser oscillation. The organic compound layer is composed of a plurality of layers, each of which has different properties such as carrier transportation properties or light-emitting properties. The organic compound layer is preferably formed to have a so-called resonator structure formed via a reflecting layer.

Abstract: To realize an electromagnetic field generating element, an information recording and reproducing head and an information recording and reproducing device for high frequency magnetic recording and reproducing by the optically assisted magnetic recording and reproduction using near field, which permit attenuation or delay of a magnetic field to be suppressed, the electromagnetic field generating element of the present invention generates a magnetic field in a direction parallel to the surface of a constricting section by supplying current in the conductive member, and applying a laser beam from the side of the substrate to the constricting section, and a surface plasmon is excited by an magnetic field vector vertical to the surface of the constricting section, thereby generating near field from the surface facing the interface between the substrate and the constricting section.

Abstract: A light emitting module and method for shaping a beam via a beam shaping window and an optical pickup apparatus employing the same. The light emitting module includes a base, a semiconductor laser that is installed on the base and emits a laser beam of a predetermined wavelength, a cap surrounding the semiconductor laser, a beam shaping window that is fitted with a predetermined portion of the cap corresponding to the propagation path of the laser beam and shapes a transmitted laser beam while reflecting a portion of an incident beam, and a monitor photodetector that is disposed within the cap and receives the laser beam reflected by the beam shaping window in order to monitor the laser beam emitted by the semiconductor laser.

Abstract: A data storage device includes a phase-change storage layer and an array of nanotubes as electron sources.

Abstract: An optical scanning device for scanning of a first, second and third type of optical record carrier with radiation of a first wavelength ?1, a second wavelength ?2 and a third wavelength ?3, respectively, where the three wavelengths are substantially different. The device comprises: a radiation source for emitting a beam of said radiation, an objective system for converging the beam on a selected one of the optical record carriers, and a phase structure arranged in the path of the beam, the phase structure comprising a plurality of phase elements of different heights, forming a non-periodic stepped profile of optical paths in the beam, and is characterised in that the stepped profile substantially approximates a flat wavefront at the first wavelength ?1, a spherical aberration wavefront at the second wavelength ?2, and a flat or spherical aberration wavefront at the third wavelength ?3.

Abstract: A device includes an optical gain medium through which optical radiation is amplified. The device includes first and second reflectors disposed around the gain medium. One of the reflectors includes an emission region though which optical output is emitted and a metallic structure that has an array of features that couple the radiation to at least one surface plasmon mode of the structure, thereby enhancing the device's output. The device may be a laser, e.g., a diode laser. The emission region may have a width of, for example, between 10 and 100 nanometers, and this emission region may be in the shape of a rectangular slit. The optical radiation in the gain medium may be advantageously polarized perpendicularly to an axis along which a longer dimension of the emission region is oriented. The device is useful for data recording, e.g., thermally assisted data recording.

Abstract: A method for driving a self-scanning light-emitting element array is provided in which two light-emitting elements may be illuminated simultaneously in one chip. In a self-scanning light-emitting element array including a transfer element array and light-emitting element array, a magnitude of the write signal for illuminating adjacent two light-emitting elements simultaneously is two times that of the write signal for illuminating one light-emitting element. The self-scanning light-emitting element array is composed of a plurality of self-scanning light-emitting element array chips arranged in a linear manner, and the two-phase clock pulses are applied commonly to the plurality of self-scanning light-emitting element array chips.

Abstract: An optical element to be arranged in an optical pickup apparatus for conducting information recording and/or reproducing and to converge light fluxes with a plurality of wavelengths including a wavelength of ?1 and a wavelength of ?2 onto information recording media, comprises one or more optical main bodies; and an antireflective film which is arranged on a surface of the optical element main bodies and on which at least one optical functional surface is formed, wherein a reflectivity of an incident light flux perpendicular to the optical functional surface has a local maximum value of 1% or more between the wavelength ?1 and the wavelength ?2.

Abstract: A semiconductor laser drive circuit of the present invention reduces the number of wires, solves the out-of-timing problem of pulses due to differences in wire length, and emit short light pulses at a high transfer rate. A common emitter circuit (18) converts a voltage signal (J1) input at an input port (18a) into a current signal and, when reading information, adds the current signal to a signal output from a high-frequency oscillator circuit (20). High frequency components of the current signal converted from the voltage signal (J1) within a bandwidth of a transistor (Q6) are boosted. Degradation of the output signal of the high-frequency oscillator circuit (20) is kept at a minimum by a common base circuit including the transistor (Q6). A current switch circuit (16) cuts off or lets through the output current of a current mirror circuit (12).

Abstract: An optical pickup includes a radiating plate made to abut against a rear surface of a laser diode by positioning an engaging hole provided penetratingly in a central portion of the radiating plate concentrically with the laser diode. Slits are formed in the radiating plate to form a pair of tongues in the manner of point symmetry about an axis of the engaging hole. Screw insertion portions formed in the respective tongues are communicates with the slits. As screws are passed through the screw inserting portions and are screwed in, the radiating plate is secured to the base. When the screws are screwed in, the axis is positioned on a phantom line connecting points of application of force generated at proximal end portions of the tongues. Distances from the axis to the respective points of application of force are set to be substantially identical.

Abstract: An optical disc apparatus and a method for performing optical power study thereof can prevent errors for a power study result, which may be generated in a condition that the output power of a laser diode (LD) is saturated at a high temperature, in which the power study detects output characteristics of the LD. The optical disc apparatus includes a laser output device which outputs a laser beam in response to a light output control signal, a sensor which detects some of the outputted laser beam to output a signal corresponding to the outputted laser beam, and a controller which applies the light output control signal of a certain range to the laser output device and which calculates characteristics of the laser output power which is outputted from the laser output device in response to the light output control signal, based on the output signals of the sensor, which correspond to the light output control signal, and whether the laser output device is in a saturated state.

Abstract: The astigmatic aberration in an optical system is to be adjusted. Specifically, in an optical disc device on which can be selectively loaded a first optical disc having a first index of double refraction or a second optical disc having a second index of double refraction larger than said first index of double refraction, and which includes a liquid crystal device 31 between a light source 11 and an objective lens 15 converging a light beam radiated from said light source on the optical disc 2 loaded on the optical disc device, the voltage applied to the liquid crystal device 31 is adjusted to correct the coma aberration or the astigmatic aberration for the first disc or the second disc, respectively.

Abstract: Light from a light source is led to a condensing lens by a light leading unit and is condensed onto an optical recording medium by the condensing lens. Light reflected from the optical recording medium is led to a light sensing device through a spot adjustment lens facing the light sensing device. Between the spot adjustment lens and the light sensing device, a cylindrical dustproof member is provided. The full periphery of an optical path extending between the spot adjustment lens and the light sensing device is covered with the dustproof member. It can prevent intrusion of a foreign matter such as dusts into the optical path extending between the spot adjustment lens and the light sensing device.

Abstract: An optical disk apparatus includes a motor to rotate an optical disk and an optical head to apply light to the optical disk. The optical head includes a light source to emit the light to be applied to the optical disk, and a collimating lens to receive and collimate the light emitted by the light source. The collimating lens has an optical axis. The optical head also includes a support wall to support the collimating lens at a particular position. The support wall is configured to provide a gap between the collimating lens and the support wall to enable the collimating lens to be adjusted from an initial position to the particular position. The adjustment involves at least a movement in a direction that is perpendicular to the optical axis of the collimating lens. The optical head further includes an objective lens that is configured to receive the light from the collimating lens in order to apply the light to the optical disk.

Abstract: A high-speed, write-once type optical recording medium, which utilizes laser light that is either blue or an even shorter wavelength, as well as an optical recording method and an optical recording apparatus for recording onto this optical recording medium. A high-speed, write-once type optical recording medium 10 having a recording layer 18 and a light transmission layer 22 formed sequentially on top of a support substrate 12, wherein the recording layer 18 is formed by laminating first and second vice-recording layers 18A, 18B which include Al and Sb respectively as primary components, and irradiation of a laser light of blue wavelength from a laser light source 24, through the light transmission layer 22 and onto the recording layer 18, causes diffusion and mixing of the Al and Sb contained within the first and second vice-recording layers 18A, 18B, and this mixing enables the formation of a recording mark based on an irreversible change in reflectance.

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: A method for establishing an optical connection between at least one optoelectronic component arranged in a first substrate and emitting or receiving optical radiation substantially perpendicular to a substrate surface of the first substrate, and at least one optical waveguide aligned with a first end substantially parallel to the substrate surface. The method comprises providing a second substrate that is transparent for at least one wavelength range of the optical radiation, and applying a layer of material on the second substrate. The layer is transparent, at least after structuring, for the wavelength range.

Abstract: An optical storage device and method of operating that device are disclosed. The device includes an optical storage medium, and a light source capable of generating light that is transmitted to the medium. The light generated by the light source is at a first wavelength that is within the vacuum ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum and satisfies at least one of the following criteria: (i) the wavelength is within a 1.0 nm-wide window in the vacuum ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum at which a local minimum in the absorption coefficient of Oxygen (O2) occurs; and (ii) the absorption coefficient of Oxygen (O2) at standard temperature and pressure that corresponds to the wavelength is less than 25 atm?1 cm?1. In one embodiment, the light is at approximately 121.6 nm, and the light source is a gas discharge light source that produces light at the Hydrogen Lyman-? line.

Abstract: Laser beams respectively emitted from a SHG blue laser unit and a red semiconductor laser unit that have photo detectors respectively are turned into parallel lights by a collimator lens and then coupled by a dielectric multi-layer film mirror so as to be propagated on the same optical axis. The dielectric multi-layer film mirror is configured so as to transmit light with a wavelength of 500 nm or shorter and reflect light with a wavelength of 500 nm or longer for both P wave and S wave. The lights that are transmitted and reflected by the dielectric multi-layer film mirror pass through a polarizing hologram and a phase variable wave plate and are focused on an optical disk by an objective lens. In this manner, a simple configuration can realize a compatibility with many types of optical disks and a stable signal detection even when using a polarizing optical detection system.

Abstract: A hybrid objective lens has a refractive lens and a diffractive optical element constructed by plural coaxial ring-shaped zones on at least one optical surface thereof. When n1, n2 and n3 each is a diffraction order of a diffracted ray having a maximum light amount among diffracted rays of each of first, second and third light flux having wavelength ?1, ?2 and ?3 when respective light flux comes to be incident into the diffractive structure respectively, the following formulas are satisfied: |n1|>|n2|, and |n1|>|n3|, and the hybrid objective lens converges a n1-th, n2-th and n3-th order diffracted ray of the first, second and third light flux onto an information recording plane of each of the first, second ant third optical information recording medium respectively so as to form an appropriate wavefront within respective prescribed necessary image side numerical apertures.

Abstract: A light source drive which modulates a light source so as to cause the same to emit a light, includes: a superposition current generation part which generates a superposition current approximately corresponding to a charging/discharging current needed for a capacitance occurring in parallel to the light source for a predetermined time period near at least one of a rising-up part and a decaying-down part of a waveform of a drive current for the light source; and an addition/subtraction part which adds to or subtracts from the drive current the superposition current generated by the superposition current generation part.

Abstract: An optical pickup having a simple structure and that is capable of recording using a plurality of wavelengths is provided, comprising a primary laser light source for emitting a primary laser light having a first wavelength and that is of sufficient power for recording, an integrated device further comprising a secondary laser light source for emitting a secondary laser light having a second wavelength that is longer than the first wavelength and that is of sufficient power for recording as well as light receiving elements for receiving the light of the primary and secondary laser lights, and a polarized light beam splitter having polarization selectivity in respect of the secondary laser light.

Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus for reproducing information from an optical information recording medium or for recording information onto an optical information recording medium, is provided with a first light source for emitting first light flux having a first wavelength; a second light source for emitting second light flux having a second wavelength, the first wavelength being different from the second wavelength; a converging optical system having an optical axis and a diffractive portion, and a photo detector; wherein in case that the first light flux passes through the diffractive portion to generate at least one diffracted ray, an amount of n-th ordered diffracted ray of the first light flux is greater than that of any other ordered diffracted ray of the first light flux, and in case that the second light flux passes through the diffractive portion to generate at least one diffracted ray, an amount of n-th ordered diffracted ray of the second light flux is greater than that of any other ordered diffracted

Abstract: Providing an objective lens with a large numerical aperture (NA), the present invention records or plays conventional optical disks such as CDs and DVDs at high light usage efficiency, using an optical head capable of recording or reproducing high-density optical disks. A diffraction optical element (8) is disposed in a light path of a first light beam of a first wavelength ?1 (400 nm to 415 nm) and a second light beam of a second wavelength ?2 (650 nm to 680 nm). And, the present invention principally emits 5th order diffracted light with respect to the first light beam, and principally emits 3rd order diffracted light with respect to the second light beam, from the diffraction optical element (8). Thus, a high diffraction efficiency of substantially 100% can be obtained with respect to both wavelengths.

Abstract: A near-field optical apparatus having one or more solid state lasers and an aerodynamically shaped slider which comprise a single integrated, monolithic device fabricated from the same base semiconductor material. The monolithic optical head can be quickly and easily attached to the read arm of an optical read/write device without requiring attachment of separate laser elements, and without micropositioning or use of optical microscopy for positioning the lasers. The optical head comprising a single semiconductor substrate including a first region which defines a slider having an air bearing surface, and at least one second, laser region which defines a diode laser, with the diode laser having an emission face which is substantially co-planar with the air bearing surface.

Abstract: A method of initializing a phase-change optical information recording medium is provided, using an optical system incorporating a semiconductor laser device. The laser device is characterized by a specified spatial power distribution. In a spatial distribution of the laser power focused on the recording medium, in the direction perpendicular to guide tracks the laser device preferably has less average smaller in both end regions of the spatial distribution, which have each 10% of the width at half maximum of the distribution, than the average in the center region of the full width at half maximum of the distribution.