Patent ID: 7345982

Claim:
An optical pickup device comprising: a light source that selectively emits a plurality of light beams different in wavelength from each other; an objective lens that focuses the light beam emitted from the light source onto an optical disk and collects return light from the optical disk; a composite optical element including a first diffraction element that allows the light beam emitted from the light source to pass through, while diffracting the return light from the optical disk, and at least one light-path deviation correcting means disposed in a position where the return light diffracted by the first diffraction element is incident to correct a light-path deviation of the return light, caused in the first diffraction element by a variation in wavelength of the light beam emitted from the light source and direct the return light to a predetermined position; and a light-detecting means for detecting, at a plurality of light-detecting areas thereof, the return light having the light-path deviation thereof corrected by the light-path deviation correcting means, wherein the composite optical element further includes a return-light splitting means disposed in a position where the return light having a light-path deviation thereof corrected by the light-path deviation correcting means is incident to split the return light into a plurality of beams and direct the plurality of beams to the plurality of light-detecting areas of the light-detecting means.