Optical pickup and optical disc drive

Abstract

An optical pickup for writing information to and/or for reading information from an optical disc having at least two recording layers (dual layer) provided with first and second recording layers can prevent layer crosstalk resulting from disturbing a signal reproduced from the first recording layer by a reflected light beam reflected from the second recording layer during a writing operation for writing information to the first recording layer or a reading operation for reading information from the fist recording layer. An orthogonal polarization region forming component forms an orthogonal polarization region, in which respective directions of polarization of a first light beam focused on and reflected by a first recording layer of an optical disc and a second light beam reflected by a second recording layer of the optical disc are perpendicular to each other, in a region, in which the first and the second light beam overlap each other, on a light-receiving surface of a detector. The orthogonal polarization region forming component is a polarization switch for changing the directions of polarization of part or all of the first and the second light beam.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the optical system of an optical pickup in a preferred embodiment according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a pictorial view of a wave plate pattern in a first example;

FIG. 3 is a polarization direction distribution pattern in a first example formed by a light beam focused on a light-receiving surface;

FIG. 4 is a pictorial view of a wave plate pattern in a second example;

FIG. 5 is a polarization direction distribution pattern in a second example formed by a light beam focused on a light-receiving surface;

FIG. 6 is a pictorial view of a wave plate pattern in a third example;

FIG. 7 is a polarization direction distribution pattern in a third example formed by a light beam focused on a light-receiving surface;

FIG. 8 is a pictorial view of a wave plate pattern in a fourth example;

FIG. 9 is a polarization direction distribution pattern in a fourth example formed by a light beam focused on a light-receiving surface;

FIG. 10 is a pictorial view of a wave plate pattern in a fifth example;

FIG. 11 is a polarization direction distribution pattern in a fifth example formed by a light beam focused on a light-receiving surface; and

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of an optical disc drive in a preferred embodiment according to the present invention.

Claims

1. An optical pickup which radiate a light beam onto an optical disc provided with a first and a second layer and receives the light beam reflected from the optical disc, said optical pickup comprising: a laser diode;an objective lens for focusing a light beam emitted by the laser diode on the optical disc;a detector for detecting the reflected light beam reflected from the optical disc; andan orthogonal polarization region forming component which forms an orthogonal polarization region, in which respective directions of polarization of a first light beam focused on and reflected by the first recording layer and a second light beam reflected by the second recording layer before or after the first light beam is focused on the first recording layer are perpendicular to each other, in a region, in which the first and the second light beam overlap each other, on a light-receiving surface of the detector.

2. The optical pickup according to claim 1, wherein the orthogonal polarization region forming component is a polarization switch for changing the directions of polarization of part or all of the first and the second light beam, the polarization switch is placed in an optical path between the objective lens and the detector, and the respective directions of polarization of the first and the second light beam are perpendicular to each other in a predetermined region on the light receiving surface of the detector on which the first and the second light beam passed through the polarization switch overlap each other.

3. The optical pickup according to claim 2, wherein all or part of a region in the polarization switch is a wave plate.

4. The optical pickup according to claim 3, wherein the wave plate is a half-wave plate that causes a phase difference of λ/2, where λ is the wavelength of the light beam emitted by the laser diode.

5. The optical pickup according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the polarization switch is a wave plate provided with a predetermined pattern, and the predetermined pattern is a rectangular pattern.

6. The optical pickup according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the polarization switch is a wave plate provided with a predetermined pattern, and the predetermined pattern is a striped pattern.

7. The optical pickup according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the polarization switch is a wave plate provided with a predetermined pattern, and the predetermined pattern is a checkered pattern.

8. An optical disc drive comprising: the optical pickup according to any one of the claims 1 to 7;a laser diode driving circuit for driving the laser diode;a servo signal generating circuit for generating at least either of a focusing error signal and a tracking error signal by using a signal produced by the detector included in the optical pickup; andan information signal reproducing circuit for reproducing information signals recorded in an optical disc.