Patent ID: 8203926

Claim:
An optical pickup apparatus configured to read out a signal recorded on a signal recording layer of each of a first optical disc, a second optical disc, and a third optical disc, the first optical disc including a signal recording layer at a first distance from a surface thereof, the second optical disc including a signal recording layer at a second distance longer than the first distance from a surface thereof, the third optical disc including a signal recording layer at a third distance longer than the first distance and shorter than the second distance from a surface thereof, the optical pickup apparatus comprising: a first laser diode configured to generate a first laser beam having a first wavelength suitable for reading out a signal recorded on the signal recording layer of the first optical disc; a second laser diode configured to generate a second laser beam having a second wavelength suitable for reading out a signal recorded on the signal recording layer of the second optical disc, the second wavelength being longer than the first wavelength; a third laser diode configured to generate a third laser beam having a third wavelength suitable for reading out a signal recorded on the signal recording layer of the third optical disc, the third wavelength being longer than the first wavelength and shorter than the second wavelength; and an objective lens configured to condense the first to third laser beams on the signal recording layers of the first to third optical discs, respectively, an incident surface of the objective lens, on which each of the first to third laser beams is allowed to enter, having an inner region covering a center of the incident surface, an outer region, and an intermediate region between the inner and outer regions, a diffraction zone formed in the intermediate region, the first laser beam being condensed on the signal recording layer of the first optical disc by condensing actions of the inner region and the outer region, wherein the first laser beam incident on the intermediate region is diffracted by the diffraction zone so as to not be condensed on the signal recording layer of the first optical disc, the second laser beam being condensed on the signal recording layer of the second optical disc by condensing actions of the inner region and the intermediate region, wherein the second laser beam incident on the intermediate region is condensed on the signal recording layer of the second optical disc by being diffracted by the diffraction zone, the third laser beam being condensed on the signal recording layer of the third optical disc by condensing actions of the inner region and the intermediate region, wherein the third laser beam incident on the intermediate region is condensed on the signal recording layer of the third optical disc by being diffracted by the diffraction zone, wherein a blaze height of the diffraction zone is set so that a diffraction efficiency of the first laser beam is lower than diffraction efficiencies of the second and third laser beams.