Patent ID: 6896419

Claim:
An optical pickup comprising: optical wiring consisting of: a first optical fiber formed by covering a first core thereof with cladding, in which an optical axis is assumed to be Z, both the refractive index distribution profiles of, the first core in X and Y directions among three axes of X, Y and Z perpendicular to each other are made to quadratic index distribution profiles, and slopes of the refractive index distribution profiles in the corresponding X and Y directions are made different values from each other; abd a second optical fiber formed by covering a second core thereof with cladding, in which the second core has birefringence, wherein a first end of the first optical fiber and a first end of the second optical fiber are are connected to each other, a semiconductor laser at a second end of the first optical fiber; an optical head at a second end of the second optical fiber, the optical head having at least an objective lens; and an optical detector at a second end of the second optical fiber, wherein an optical fiber module is constructed with said semiconductor laser and said optical wiring disposed such that a laser light beam emitted from said semiconductor laser is made to enter a second end of said first optical fiber, and said optical wiring directs the laser light beam emitted from said semiconductor laser into said optical head, and wherein a cross section of the first coe in said first optical fiber is made in one of an approximately elliptical, oval, or approximately rectangular shape, and a polarizing direction of the light beam emitted from said semiconductor laser approximately coincides with a direction of a major axis of the cross section of the first core in said first optical fiber.