Optical pickup device

Abstract

Provided is an optical pickup device capable to suppress an occurrence of an aberration on a recording medium and a decrease of power of laser beams while employing a diffraction grating as an optical axis correction element. The laser element emitting the laser beam for CD (780 nm in wavelength) is disposed between the laser element emitting the laser beam for next-generation DVD (405 nm in wavelength) and the laser element emitting the laser beam for DVD (650 nm in wavelength). Only the laser beam for DVD is aligned by a diffraction effect of the optical axis correction element (diffraction grating) with the optical axis of the laser beam for next generation DVD. It is possible that a decrease of laser power due to diffraction efficiency is suppressed as much as possible because only the optical axis of the laser beam for DVD is aligned with the optical axis of the laser beam for next-generation DVD. Also it is possible that the optical axis of the laser beam for CD not subjected to the optical axis correction is brought close to the optical axis of laser beam for next-generation DVD considerably, thereby an aberration occurring in the laser beam for CD can be suppressed at minimum level.