Patent ID: 8081553

Claim:
An optical pickup apparatus comprising: a single laser diode configured to emit laser light for performing a reproduction operation of a signal recorded on a first type of optical disc and a signal recorded on a second, different type of optical disc, the laser light having a single wavelength associated with the first type of optical disc; an objective lens configured to focus the laser light having the single wavelength associated with the first type of optical disc onto a signal recording layer of an optical disc; and a spherical aberration correction element disposed in an optical path between the laser diode and the objective lens such that when the optical disc is of the first type of optical disc, the spherical aberration correction element emits the laser light having the single wavelength associated with the first type of optical disc as parallel light; and when the optical disc is of a second, different type of optical disc, the spherical aberration correction element emits the laser light having the single wavelength associated with the first type of optical disc as divergent light.