Optical pickup, optical element, optical information device, computer, optical information medium player, car navigation system, optical information medium recorder and optical disk server for use with a light source which emits a divergent beam

摘要

An optical pickup includes: a laser light source which outputs an divergent beam having an elliptical far-field pattern; a beam shaping element having at least one cylindrical plane and which shapes the divergent beam outputted from the laser light source into an divergent beam having a prescribed shape in which at least the length in the major axis direction of the elliptical shape is shortened; a light collecting portion having a beam splitter which perpendicularly collects the divergent beam that is outputted from the beam shaping element and which has a prescribed shape on the recording surface of an optical disk , and a mirror or the like; and a light detecting portion The optical axis of the divergent beam is rotated so that the direction in which the major axis of the divergent beam having a prescribed shape is shortened conforms to the radial direction of an optical information recording medium.