Optical pickup device and optical disc apparatus

1. An optical pickup device comprising:

a semiconductor laser for emitting laser light;

an objective lens for irradiating luminous flux emitted from the semiconductor laser to an optical disc;

a branching element having a plurality of regions for branching luminous flux reflected from the optical disc to a plurality of fluxes; and

a photodetector having a plurality of light receiving parts which receive luminous flux branched by said branching element;

wherein along a direction substantially coincident with a radial direction of said optical disc in relation to a substantial center of the branching element are arrayed at least two regions that do not include an area on a direction substantially coincident with a tangential direction of said optical disc in relation to the substantial center of the branching element; and

wherein luminous flux which enters the at least two regions is arranged onto the photodetector, along a direction substantially coincident with the tangential direction of the optical disc.

2. An optical pickup device comprising:

a semiconductor laser for emitting laser light;

an objective lens for irradiating luminous flux emitted from the semiconductor laser to an optical disc;

a branching element having a plurality of regions for branching luminous flux reflected from the optical disc to a plurality of fluxes; and

a photodetector having a plurality of light receiving parts which receive luminous flux branched by the branching element;

wherein along a direction substantially coincident with a radial direction of said optical disc in relation to a substantial center of the branching element are arrayed at least two regions that do not include an area on a direction substantially coincident with a tangential direction of said optical disc in relation to the substantial center of the branching element;

wherein luminous flux which enters the at least two regions is arrayed onto the photodetector, along a direction substantially coincident with the tangential direction of the optical disc;

wherein along a direction substantially coincident with a tangential direction of said optical disc in relation to the substantial center of the branching element are arrayed at least two regions that do not include an area on a direction substantially coincident with a radial direction of said optical disc in relation to the substantial center of the branching element; and

wherein luminous flux which enters the at least two regions is arrayed on the photodetector, along the direction substantially coincident with a radial direction of the optical disc.

3. An optical pickup device comprising:

a semiconductor laser for emitting laser light;

an objective lens for irradiating luminous flux emitted from the semiconductor laser to an optical disc;

a diffraction grating for branching luminous flux reflected from the optical disc; and

a photodetector having a plurality of light receiving parts which receive luminous flux branched by the diffraction grating;

wherein the diffraction grating has 3 sets of regions “A”, “B”, and “C”;

wherein among disc diffraction light diffracted by a track formed on the optical disc, zero-order disc diffraction light is entered to said region “A” of the diffraction grating, and the zero-order disc diffraction light, +first-order disc diffraction light and −first-order disc diffraction light are entered to the region “B” thereof;

wherein the photodetector detects a reproduction signal from luminous flux diffracted by the regions “A”, “B”, and “C”;

wherein at least two light receiving parts of the photodetector detect either +first-order grating diffraction light or −first-order grating diffraction light, or both the +first-order grating diffraction light and the −first-order grating diffraction light of the diffraction grating region “A” are arrayed along a direction which is made substantially coincident with the radial direction of said optical disc;

wherein at least two light receiving parts of said photodetector detect either +first-order grating diffraction light or −first-order grating diffraction light of the diffraction grating region “B” are arrayed along a direction which is made substantially coincident with a tangential direction of the optical disc; and

wherein the photodetector further has a light receiving part into which the zero-order diffraction light of the diffraction grating regions “A”, “B”, and “C” is entered.

4. An optical pickup device as claimed in claim 3 ,

wherein a said tracking error signal is detected based upon either the +first-order grating diffraction light or the −first-order grating diffraction light, or both the +first-order grating diffraction light and the −first-order grating diffraction light diffracted by the regions “A” and “B” of the diffraction grating; and

wherein a reproduction signal is detected based upon a summation of the zero-order diffraction light diffracted by the regions “A”, “B”, “C” of the diffraction grating.