Patent ID: 7820959

Claim:
A photodetector to be incorporated in an optical pickup device, comprising: a photodiode that a laser light emitted from a laser diode is applied to and that outputs a signal corresponding to light amount of the laser light; and a translucent resin member configured to cover the photodiode, including a light receiving portion that the laser light is applied to and that causes the laser light to be applied to the photodiode, and a peripheral portion provided around the light receiving portion, wherein: a thickness of the light receiving portion between a laser diode-facing surface of the photodiode and a laser diode-facing surface of the light receiving portion is smaller than a thickness of the peripheral portion between the laser diode-facing surface of the photodiode and a laser diode-facing surface of the peripheral portion, the laser diode-facing surface of the peripheral portion is closer to the laser diode than the laser diode-facing surface of the light receiving portion, the translucent resin member further includes a concave portion that is concave from the laser diode-facing surface of the light receiving portion that the laser light is applied to, to reduce the thickness of the light receiving portion between the laser diode-facing surface of the photodiode and the laser diode-facing surface of the light receiving portion, the laser diode-facing surface of the light receiving portion is located between the laser diode-facing surface of the photodiode and the laser diode-facing surface of the peripheral portion, the laser diode-facing surface of the light receiving portion is parallel to the laser diode-facing surface of the photodiode, and a periphery of the concave portion is inclined toward the light receiving portion so that an open area of the concave portion becomes smaller toward the laser diode-facing surface of the light receiving portion from the laser diode-facing surface of the peripheral portion.