OPTICAL HEAD DEVICE

Abstract: A regulator means (8) or (9) for varying the distance on the optical axis between a light source (1) such as a semi­ conductor laser and a condenser (2) is provided in an optical head device. A spherical aberration component, which is a fault inherent in an optical system, can be offset by the spher­ ical aberration caused by the operation of the regulator means, to thereby reduce the wavefront aberration included in a condensed beam, whereby the aberration characteristics and the condensation performance of the condenser system are improved.

Description: This invention relates to an optical head device for recording information in an optical information recording medium and reproducing or erasing it therefrom as well as to a method of manufacturing the same. More particularly, it is an optical head device including an optical system which is free from any spherical aberration and can satisfactorily concentrate light. There has recently been a great deal of activity for realizing an optical head device for recording information in an optical disk and reproducing it therefrom by utilizing an optical system of maximum diffraction which is substantially free from any abberation. The essential construction of such an optical head device is shown in FIGURES 7(a) to 7(c). The device includes a semiconductor laser (LD) 1 defining a source of light, a condensing lens 2, a disk 3 having an information recording surface 4 provided with an information track 12, a beam splitter 10, a diffraction grating 14 and a cylindrical lens 15. A beam 7 of light leaving the LD 1 at a point 6 is concentrated by the lens 2 on the disk 3 at a point 5. A reflected beam is also concentrated on a light detector 11 at a point 13. Referring to the operation of the device, a diverging beam 7 of light is emitted by the LD 1 at the point 6 and converted by the condensing lens 2 to a converging beam. The converging beam passes through a transparent substrate forming the disk 3 and having a thickness d and is concentrated on the information recording surface 4 at the point 5. The beam which has been reflected by the information recording surface 4 passes through the condensing lens 2, is separated from the beam 7 by the beam splitter 10 and is received by the light detector 11 whereby a light signal is produced. The device has focus and tracking servo functions to ensure that the point 5 on the disk 3 on which the beam is concentrated by the condensing lens 2 be always located in the information track 12. The focus and tracking functions of the device shown in FIGURES 7(a) to 7(c) are carried out by an astigmatic method and a twin spot method as will now be described briefly. Referring first to the astigmatic method, an astigmatic device, such as the cylindrical lens 15, is provided in the path of the reflected beam for rendering it astigmatic. The position of the light detector 11 along the optical axis is adjusted to ensure that the beam radiated on the light detector 11 form a minimum circle 13 of aberration if the focal point 5 is correctly positioned in the information track 12. The light detector comprises four detector elements 11 a to 11 d , as shown in FIGURE 7(b). If the optical disk 3 is displaced along the optical axis, the spots on the light detector 11 change their shape from a minimum circle of abberation as shown at 13 by a solid line to an elongated oval shape as shown by broken lines. This change is detected as an electrical focus error signal which is obtained by the calculation of a differential between the total output of one of the two pairs of diagonally disposed detector elements and the total output of the other pair, i.e., (11 a + 11 c ) - (11 b + 11 d ). This signal causes a focus actuator not shown to move the condensing lens 2 to correct any deviation of the focal point 5 from the information recording surface 4 along the optical axis. According to the twin spot method, the beam 7 of the LD 1 is divided by the diffraction grating 14 disposed across its path into a plurality of beams, i.e., of the zero- and ±1-orders and is concentrated on the information track 12 as shown in FIGURE 7(c). The beam of the zero-order is correctly radiated on the center of the information track and is used for signal reading and recording purposes. The beams of the ±1-order are slightly deviated from the track. The three spots lie in a line which is slightly inclined to the information track 12. The diffracted beams of the ±1-order rays are received by the light detectors 11 e and 11 f and their difference (11 e - 11 f ) provides a tracking error signal which causes a tracking actuator not shown to move the condensing lens 2 to correct any deviation of the focal point 5 from the information track 12 in the plane of the information recording surface. The optical head device as hereinabove described has a bit length and a track spacing which are so small as to enable the reading of any signal when the condensing system between the LD 1 and the condensing lens 2 is at a diffraction limit, so that the recording medium may be able to store a large amount of information at a high density. Therefore, the converging beam which is incident to the information recording surface 4 must be free from any aberration so that the condensed spot 5 formed by the system at the diffraction limit may be radiated on the information track 12. The wave-front aberration which is permissible as the diffraction limit has a standard diviation of 0.07 λ (Marechal limit), where, λ is the wavelength of the LD. It is known that when light is concentrated through a disk composed of a transparent substrate having a thickness d as hereinabove described, a wave-front aberration of formula (1) occurs as a spherical aberration of the fourth order: The concentration of light with substantially no aberration is required for an optical disk head. When the condensing lens 2 is designed, therefore, its spherical aberration is left without complete correction so that a balance may be obtained when its aberration is offset by the aberration W₄₀ resulting from the passage of a beam through the substrate of the disk. FIGURE 8 is a view showing the optical condensing system in the optical ahead device of FIGURE 7(a). In FIGURE 8, ℓ₁ and ℓ₂ are the distance between the principal surface H of the condensing lens and the light emitting point 6 of the light source and the distance between the principal surface H' of the lens and the light concentrating point 5 on the disk 3, respectively. When the optical head is designed, the distances ℓ₁ and ℓ₂ are so selected as to position the light emitting point 6 and the light concentrating point 5 in a conjugate relation with respect to paraxial rays. In other words, the distances have the following relation to the focal length f₀ of the condensing lens 2: The parameters (e.g., shape and thickness) of the condensing lens 2 are so selected as to minimize any disorder in the wave front of the beam to be concentrated, or any wave-front aberration when the positional relation satisfying formula (2) exists. The optical head device which has hereinabove been described, however, include various factors that give rise to wave-front aberration and thereby lower its recording and reproducing performance. Spherical aberration, which is one of the components of wave-front aberration, will hereinafter be discussed. Spherical aberration is due to (1) an error in thickness of the disk, (2) variation in the refractive index of the disk, (3) deviation of the shape of the refracting surface of the condensing lens from a designed one, (4) error in thickness of the condensing lens, (5) variation in the refractive index of the condensing lens, etc. For example, if the disk comprises a polycarbonate substrate having a refractive index N of 1.55 and if the condensing lens has a numerical aperture (NA) expressed as sinϑ₂ = 0.5, formula (1) gives the rms wave-front aberration of 0.014 λ for light having a wavelength of 0.78 µm if the disk has an error of 50 µm in thickness. It amounts to 20% of the allowable rms wave-front aberration of 0.07 λ which has hereinabove been stated, though the error in thickness of the disk is very small. All of the other factors stated at (2) to (5) also give rise to the fourth-order spherical aberration which is symmetric with respect to the optical axis. The super position of each factor also gives rise to the component of aberration which is symmetric with respect to the optical axis and as a result causes the fourth-order spherical aberration to remain. The wave-front aberration can be expressed as W₄₀·ρ₄, where ρ is the normalized radius of the pupil which is larger than 0 and smaller than 1. It is well known that the presence of any such spherical aberration results in a lower central intensity of the light concentrating point (spot) 5 and thereby a larger diameter thereof. The increase in diameter of the light concentrating point 5 leads to a reduction in OTF of the optical system resulting in a reduction in the recording and reproducing density of the optical disk head and its performance. WO 84/00243 describes a focus and tracking control apparatus for use in an optical disc data storage and retrieval system. To maintain a write/read light beam in sharp focus and centered on a specific track on a rotating optical disc, the light beam's source is moveably mounted relative to the focussing optics. In response to focus and tracking error signals produced by photoelectric means, the light source is moved in mutually perpendicular directions, parallel and transverse to the optical axis of the focussing optics. Preferably, the light source is of very low mass, e.g. that of a diode laser and is supported for movement by a plurality of piezoelectrfic benders. By adjusting the position of the light source (rather than the more massive focussing optics), a faster response to focus and tracking error signals can be achieved. JP-A-60-154 223 describes an objective lens system for optical recording type discs which includes a first lens having a positive refractive power and at least an aspherical surface and a second lens with positive refractive power. By modification of the surface form of the lenses spherical and comatic aberrations can be corrected. Under these circumstances, it is an object of this invention to provide an optical head device in which spherical aberration is minimized by a very simple positioning of parts. It is another object of this invention to provide an optical head device including a system which can condense light without any aberration at a diffraction limit while maintaining the focus and tracking sensor characteristics as designed. These objects are solved by an optical head device in accordance with claim 1 and a method for manufacturing the optical head device in accordance with claim 3. FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic view of an optical head device; FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic view of a second optical head device; FIGURES 3(a) to 3(c) are graphs showing the analysis of aberration resulting from the movement of a LD; FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic view of a third optical head device; FIGURES 5(a) and 5(b) are diagrammatic views showing the mounting adjustment of the optical head device; FIGURES 6(a) and 6(b) are sectional views showing in detail the internal construction of the device embodying this invention; FIGURES 7(a) to 7(c) are diagrammatic views of a conventionally known optical head device; and FIGURE 8 is a diagrammatic view of the optical condensing system in the conventionally known optical head device. Figs 1 to 5 are used to merely describe the background of the technical problem of the invention. A first optical device is shown in FIGURE 1. Like numerals and symbols are used to indicate like parts both in FIGURE 1 and in FIGURES 7(a) to 7(c) and 8. FIGURE 1 further shows means 8 for adjusting the position of the LD 1 in either of two directions shown by arrows +Z and -Z along its optical axis. The adjusting means 8 can move the LD 1 along its optical axis from its normal position in which it is spaced apart by the normal distance ℓ₁ from the condensing lens 2 which comprises an objective lens of the finite conjugate type. The parameters of the condensing lens 2 are so selected as to give the best results when the first and second principal surfaces H and H' of the lens 2 are spaced apart from the LD 1 and the information recording surface of the disk 3, respectively, by the distances ℓ₁ and ℓ₂, respectively. Therefore, if the position of the LD 1 is altered to change its distance from the first principal surface H from ℓ₁ to ℓ₁ + Δ, spherical aberration occurs, as the optimum positional relationship ceases to exist. FIGURE 3(a) is a graph showing by way of example the results of calculation of the spherical aberration of a particular condensing lens in relation to the amount Δ by which the distance ℓ₁ is changed. FIGURES 3(b) and 3(c) are graphs showing the aberration when Δ is -1 mm and +1 mm, respectively. If the LD 1 is moved away from, or toward, the condensing lens 2, the lens produces the positive or negative spherical aberration as shown in FIGURES 3(b) and 3(c). The spherical aberration which is thus produced offsets any spherical aberration that may originally exist in the optical system due to any of the defects as hereinbefore stated. In the specific case as hereinabove stated, the movement of the LD 1 by ±1 mm enables the control of the spherical aberration by as much as about ±λ/4. A second optical device is shown in FIGURE 2. It includes means 9 for adjusting the position of the condensing lens 2 along its optical axis. The distance between the LD 1 and the condensing lens 2 is altered by the movement of the lens, as opposed to the first optical device. The second optical device is, however, equally effective for reducing the wave-front aberration which may give rise to spherical aberration, as it equally relies upon the alteration of the distance between the LD and the condensing lens. According to the optical devices which are shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the means for adjusting the distance betwen the LD and the condensing lens can drastically reduce the wave-front aberration which is due to the spherical aberration of the optical condensing system and can very effectively maintain the performance of the condensing system within its diffraction limit. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the diameter of the light concentrating point and thereby improve the OTF of the optical system to improve greatly any reduction in the recording and reproducing properties of the optical head that is due to spherical aberration, and increase the allowable spherical aberration thereof. The two optical devices which have been described have, however, been found to involve the problems which will now be explained with reference to FIGURE 4. FIGURE 4 shows a further optical head device which has been described with reference to FIGURE 1. Like numerals and symbols are used to indicate like or similar parts in both of FIGURES 1 and 4. In FIGURE 4, U is the distance between the light emitting point 6 of the LD 1 and the light concentrating point 5 on the optical disk, which are conjugate points, b is the distance between the point 6 and the beam splitter, g is the distance between the point 6 and the diffraction grating, and b' is the distance between the beam splitter and the light concentrating point 13 on the light detector 11, which is another conjugate point. If for correcting spherical aberration, the adjusting means 8 is used to move the LD 1 in the direction Z along its optical axis to alter its distance from the objective lens 2 by Δ from ℓ₁ to ℓ₁ + Δ, its distance from the beam splitter is also altered to b + Δ. Therefore, the position of the conjugate point 13 and thereby the distance b' are also altered. As a result, it is neccessary to move the light detector 11 or an adjusting lens provided, for example, in the position of the cylindrical lens 15, though not shown, in order to ensure that a minimum circle of aberration be radiated on the light detector 11 at the point 13. In addition to the wide range of adjustment which is required as hereinabove stated, a variation in astigmatism results from the varying position of concentration of the reflected beam which is incident to the cylindrical lens 15. It presents the serious problem that the focus sensor performance may differ from a designed one. The distance g between the light emitting point 6 of the light source and the diffraction grating 14 is also altered by Δ. The pitch P between the spots in FIGURE 7(c) varies in proportion to Δ and the pitch P' between the spots on the light detector in FIGURE 7(b) also varies substantially in proportion to Δ. It is, therefore, likely that no light may be radiated on the appropriately positioned light detector 11 e or 11 f . Moreover, if P' decreases, an interference with light of the zero order is likely to affect adversely both of the focus and tracking sensor performances of the device. Attention is now drawn to the problems of the optical head device according to the second optical device If the condensing lens 2 is moved so that the distance ℓ₁ may be altered to ℓ₁ + Δ, the distance ℓ₂ between the lens 2 and the disk is also altered in accordance with formula (2). Therefore, it is necessary to move the optical disk 3 along the optical axis in order to ensure that the light concentrating point 5 be formed in the information recording surface 4. The movement of the disk practically undesirably requires a complicated mechanism to be added when the optical head device is mounted in a player. The problems as hereinabove pointed out of the optical head device according to the first optical device are due to the fact that only the LD 1 is movable. If the position of the optical head device as a whole is adjusted relative to the disk, the problems are likely to be solved, as the distances b and g (FIGURE 4) remain unchanged. According to the first optical device, the distance ℓ₁ is varied to control spherical aberration. The variation of the distance ℓ₁ naturally results in a variation of the distance U between the light emitting point 6 and the light concentrating point 5 on the optical disk, i.e., the conjugate points. Therefore, another optical device for correcting spherical aberration is shown in FIGURES 5(a) and 5(b). In FIGURE 5(a), U is the distance between the light emitting point 6 of the light source and the light concentrating point 5 on the optical disk. A indicates a reference plane for the mounting of the optical head device 16 and t is the distance between the reference plane A and the optical disk 3. FIGURE 5(a) shows the optical head device 16 in its original position in which it stays prior to the correction of spherical aberration and FIGURE 5(b) shows the position of the device 16 to which it is brought when it is moved by Δ in the Z direction. In FIGURE 5(b), the distance between the light emitting point 6 of the light source and the light concentrating point 5 on the disk is now U + Δ and the movement of the whole device by the small distance Δ enables the correction of its spherical aberration. In the device shown in FIGURES 5(a) and 5(b), however, the distance t between the reference plane A and the optical disk 3 is also altered to t + Δ. Therefore, it is necessary to add a mechanism for changing the mounting height of the optical head device 16 when mounting it in a player. This mechanism undesirably presents a problem concerning the space in which the other parts of the player are installed. These problems can be overcome by another or third optical device. It is an optical head device which includes means for adjusting the distance between the light source and the objective lens and thereby realizes an aberration-free optical condensing system, while maintaining the designed focus and tracking sensor characteristics, as will hereinafter be described in detail. The third optical device will be described with reference to FIGURE 4 except the adjusting means 8 which it does not include. No description will be made of its focus or tracking servo system or its principle of spherical aberration correction, as they duplicate those which have hereinbefore been described. According to the third optical device, the distances g, b and b' are all fixed and the correction of spherical aberration is carried out by the adjusting means 17 which moves the LD 1, the diffraction grating 14, the beam splitter 10, the cylindrical lens 15 and the light detector 11 as a whole along the optical axis (i.e., in the Z direction) and thereby adjusts the distance ℓ₁. As the distance b between the LD 1 and the beam splitter remains unchanged, the distance b' between the light concentrating point 13 receiving the reflected light from the optical disk, which is in a conjugate relation to the light emitting point 6 of the LD 1, and the beam splitter also remains unchanged. Therefore, the light concentrating point 13 stays on the light detector 11. As naturally no variation occurs to astigmatism, the focus sensor characteristics hardly differ from their standard or designed level. As the distance g between the LD 1 and the diffraction grating 14 also remains unchanged, no change occurs to the pitch P' between the spots in FIGURE 7(b), but both of the focus and tracking servo characteristics can be maintained at a satisfactory level without any variation. In accordance with the invention a plurality of mounts which can be selectively used for changing the position of the LD relative to the condensing lens to place them approximately in the positions where the wave-front aberration is reduced to a minimum. The correction of aberration by the device of this invention is not necessarily limited to the optical condensing system for an optical disk head, but is equally applicable to the correction of spherical aberration in any other optical system that is required to show any optical performance close to a diffraction limit. Injection or press molded lenses, such as molded plastic lenses, press molded glass lenses, grating lenses and Fresnel lenses, have recently been invented for use as low-priced and lightweight objective lenses. They are already in practical use. While these lenses are easy to manufacture in large quantities, aberration is likely to result from any error during the molding operation or in the design of the mold cavity. It is, however, known that the lenses which are manufactured in a single lot have a relatively uniform degree of aberration with a relatively small variation. According to this invention therefore, a multiplicity of lenses belonging to a particular molding lot are examined with respect to their wave-front aberration, e.g., their average spherical aberration and several housing defining different distances ℓ₁ are selectively employed instead of the spherical aberration correcting means 17 which is required by every optical head device according to the third optical device. One of the housing is used with any of the lenses belonging to the same lot to offset or correct their average spherical aberration. This arrangement makes it possible to correct the spherical aberration of any lens considerably effectively. The invention will be described in further detail with reference to FIGURES 6(a) and 6(b). The housing is shown at 18 and a focus and tracking actuator at 19. In FIGURE 6(a), the light emitting point 6 of the LD 1 and the principal surface H of the condensing lens 2 have a distance ℓ₁a therebetween. The optical head device of FIGURE 6(b) includes a housing 18 which defines a different distance ℓ₁b therebetween. The distances g, b and b' are all equal in both of FIGURES 6(a) and 6(b). The reference plane A for the mounting of the optical head device is at an equal distance t from the optical disk in both of FIGURES 6(a) and 6(b). If it is statistically certain that a multiplicity of objective lenses belonging to a particular lot have a particular degree of spherical aberration, all of the lenses can be mounted on the housing 18 defining the distance ℓ₁a as shown in FIGURE 6(a) if it can correct their spherical aberration more effectively than the housing 18' shown in FIGURE 6(b). Therefore, it is possible to correct the spherical aberration of any such lens if several housing 18 defining slightly different distances ℓ₁ are selectively used. The device is less expensive, since it does not require any adjusting means of the type which is employed in the device according to the first optical device. The device is as effective as that according to the first optical device, since it satisfies the essential requirements of this invention that the distances b, g and b' remain unchanged. The optical head device according to the invention has the advantage that when it is used with a player, no change is required of its mounting position or the position in which the disk is mounted, since the distance t between the mounting plane A and the disk can be kept unchanged. Although the invention has been described as employing an astigmatic focus servo system and a twin-spot tracking servo system, it is also possible to employ a Foucault, knife-edge, critical angle, hetero-dyne or push-pull or any other servo system. In any event, the objects of this invention can be attained if the distance between the light source and the objective lens is altered without calling for any change in the relative positions of the light source, beam splitter and light detector in an optical system of the type in which the reflected beam for the sensor and the beam emitted by the light source are separated from each other by the beam splitter. As is obvious from the foregoing, this invention enables the realization of a device which can correct the spherical aberration of its optical condensing system and condense light at its diffraction limit, while maintaining its focus and tracking performances, since the position of the light source, beam splitter and light detector as a whole can be altered relative to the condensing lens along its optical axis, while their own positions relative to one another are kept unchanged. This invention is applicable to an optical head which is used for an optical disk, compact disk, etc.

Claims: An optical head device including a light source (1), an optical condenser (2) through which a beam of light emitted by said light source (1) is concentrated on an information recording medium (3); a focussing actuator (19) which by moving the condenser (2) continuously adjusts the distance between the condenser (2) and the light source (1) along the optical axis thereof and thereby controls focussing of the beam of light; a beam splitting element (10) for separating the beam reflected by said information recording medium (3) from said emitted beam, and a light detector (11) for receiving said reflected beam; characterized by said condenser lens (2) being of finite conjugate type; a first group of optical elements including said light source (1), said beam splitting element (10) and said light detector (11); a second group of elements including said finite conjugate type optical condenser (2), said optical elements of said first group having a fixed positional relationship to one another; and a housing (18) on which said optical elements belonging to said first group are mounted, the dimensions of said housing being selected to set the distance between said first and second groups along the optical axis thereof to correct the spherical aberration of said beam concentrated on said information recording medium (3). An optical head device as set forth in claim 1, characterised in that said first group further includes a diffraction grating (14). Method of manufacturing the optical head device in accordance with claim 1, characterized by manufacturing a plurality of housings (18) defining gradually differing distances between said first and second groups and selecting from among the plurality of housings (18) the housing (18) which reduces said spherical aberration to a greater extent than any other housing (18).

Inventors: KONDO, MITSUSHIGE MITSUBISHI D.K.K. D.K.K., SHIKAMA, SHINSUKE MITSUBISHI D.K.K. D.K.K., TOIDE, EIICHI MITSUBISHI D.K.K. D.K.K.
Applicants: MITSUBISHI DENKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1986
Main classification: G02B27
IPC codes: G11B7, G02B6