Optical disc apparatus

An optical disc apparatus using an optical pickup comprising:

• a first laser light source for outputting a first laser beam having a first wavelength adaptable to a first optical disc;
• a second laser light source provided in substantially parallel with and distant a predetermined distance from the first laser light source for outputting a second laser beam having a second wavelength adaptable to a second optical disc having a specification which is different from that of the first optical disc;
• a diffraction optical element on which diffraction gratings for diffracting the first laser beam outputted from the first laser light source and the second laser beam outputted from the second laser light source and separating the beam into three beams of a main beam by 0th-order diffracted light and sub-beams by +1st-order diffracted light and −1st-order diffracted light are formed;
• a half mirror for passing through a part of the three beams separated by the diffraction optical element and reflecting the remainder in a predetermined direction;
• a collimator lens for collimating each of the three beams which pass through or are reflected by the half mirror;
• an object lens for allowing the collimated beams collimated by the collimator lens to converge on the data recording surface of the optical disc;
• and
• a light receiving device for receiving a reflected beam which is converged by the object lens and the collimator lens and is reflected by the half mirror or passes through the half mirror;
• wherein
• the diffraction optical element has two flat surfaces which are parallel to each other, a first diffraction grating for diffracting the first laser beam is formed on one surface and the second first diffraction grating for diffracting the second laser beam is formed on the other surface;
• the direction of grating grooves of the first diffraction grating and the second diffraction grating is set so that a direction in which a straight line binding +1st-order diffracted light, 0th-order diffracted light and −1st-order diffracted light of the first laser beam diffracted by the first diffraction grating intersects tracks on the optical disc belongs to an opposite side to a direction in which a straight line binding +1st-order diffracted light, 0th-order diffracted light and −1st-order diffracted light of the second laser beam diffracted by the second diffraction grating intersects the tracks on the optical disc;
• and
• influence of interference of diffracted light by the first diffraction grating and the second diffraction grating is reduced by making an angle which the grating groove of the first diffraction grating forms with the grating groove of the second diffraction grating to improve detection accuracy of a tracking error signal is improved.