Abstract: An optical pickup device is provided. The device includes a semiconductor laser light source which outputs linearly-polarized light having an elliptical shape, an objective lens which focuses light outputted from the semiconductor laser light source, forming an optical spot on an optical disc; and a polarization plate which is disposed placed on an optical path between the semiconductor laser light source and the objective lens, and which polarizes the light outputted from the semiconductor laser light source and transmits elliptically-polarized light, wherein the polarization plate is disposed such that a major axis of the elliptical polarization of the light transmitted by the polarization plate is parallel to or perpendicular to a major axis of the elliptical shape of the light.

Abstract: First and a second wave plates using quartz crystal having birefringence are laminated together in such a manner that their optical axes intersect to form a laminated wave plate functioning as a half-wave plate as a whole. Phase differences of the first and the second wave plates relative to an ordinary ray and an extraordinary ray with respect to a predetermined wavelength ? are set to be ?1 and ?2, an order of a high-mode order is set to be a natural number n, whereby the high-order mode laminated half-wave plate is formed so as to satisfy: ?1=180°+360°×n; and ?2=180°+360°×n.