Patent ID: 7852726

Claim:
A recording apparatus comprising: a recording device for recording data onto each of a plurality of types of recording media by irradiating a light beam corresponding to each of the types of recording media; a diffracting device, which is disposed on an optical path of the light beam from said recording device to the recording medium, for generating a main beam and a plurality of sub beams by making the optical beam diffract, the main beam being used to record the data and perform a tracking process, the sub beams being used to perform the tracking process, an amplitude of a tracking signal which is generated by each or one portion of the sub beams and by the main beam being maximum; a controlling device for controlling said diffracting device to adjust a position on which each of the plurality of sub beams is focused, in accordance with the type of the recording medium; a tracking device for performing the tracking process by using the tracking signal; a plurality of light receiving devices for receiving reflected light of at least one portion of the plurality of sub beams and the main beam; and a refractive index changing device, which is provided on a light receiving surface of a light receiving device which receives at least one portion of the plurality of sub beams from among said plurality of light receiving devices, for changing a refractive index.