Patent ID: 7830773

Claim:
An optical pickup device for recording and reproducing information on either of different optical information recording mediums, using light beams of different wavelengths according to types of the recording mediums, comprising: a semiconductor laser element operable to output selectively two light beams of different wavelengths; a hologram element operable to diffract light beams reflected from an optical information recording medium; six light receiving elements operable to receive light beams diffracted by the hologram element and perform a photoelectric conversion on the received light beams; and an output circuit operable to generate a tracking error signal from signals output from the light receiving elements, and output the generated tracking error signal, wherein the light beams reflected from the optical information recording mediums have strength centers thereof, respectively at two different points on the hologram element in correspondence with the different wavelengths, the hologram element is divided into six areas by a straight line connecting the two strength center points, and by two straight lines that are perpendicular to the straight line and respectively pass the two strength center points, and light beams diffracted by the six areas of the hologram element are respectively received by the six light receiving elements in a one-to-one correspondence with each other.