Optical head

• US 5,091,793 A
• Filed: 12/27/1990
• Issued: 02/25/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sakata, Akihiro, Momoo, Kazuo, Yamamoto, Hiroshi, Saimi, Tetsuo, Goto, Shoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Ben, Loha
• Application Number:
  US07/634,849
• Time in Patent Office: 425 Days
• Field of Search: 350/252, 350/247, 350/255, 350/321, 350/286, 350/287, 369/100, 369/118, 369/120, 369/128, 369/43, 369/44.12, 369/44.14
• US Class Current: 359/831
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/12 Heads, e.g. forming of the optical beam spot or modulation of the optical beam disposition or mounting of head elements within housing or with provision for moving of light source, optical beam or detector, irrelevant to the transducing method G11B7/08 ; modulating lasers H01S3/10; controlling the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light beams arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching gating or modulating G02F1/00

Abstract

An optical head for recording and reproducing information on an optical disk includes a box-like cover carrying thereon a semiconductor laser unit and a detector, and a substantially planar base on which various optical components are bonded, the base being made of the same material as the box-like cover and secured to the box-like cover to close an open end of the latter. By the use of the planar base, the optical components and the base can be bonded efficiently with utmost ease.

Claims

1. An optical head for recording and reproducing information on an optical disk, comprising:

(a) a semiconductor laser unit;

(b) a detector for detecting reflected light returning from the optical disk;

(c) a cover having a substantially U-shaped cross section and carrying thereon said semiconductor laser unit and said detector;

(d) a substantially planar base;

(e) at least one first optical component secured by bonding to said base and constituting a first optical system acting on a light beam emitted from said semiconductor laser unit, said first optical component including a beam shaping prism, a deflecting beam splitter or a composite prism comprised of a combination of the beam shaping prism and the deflecting beam splitter; and

(f) at least one second optical component secured by bonding to said base and constituting a second optical system acting on the reflected light returning from the optical disk, said second optical component including a prism or a mirror, wherein said cover is secured to said base and covers said first and second optical components.

2. An optical head according to claim 1, wherein said base is made of the same material as that of the first and second optical components.

3. An optical head according to claim 1, wherein said base is made of a material of high light transmission.

4. An optical head according to claim 3, wherein said base is made of the same material as that of the first and second optical components.

5. An optical head according to claim 1, wherein said base has at least two lands on which said first and second optical components are bonded.

6. An optical head according to claim 1, wherein said base has a flat surface on which said first and second optical components are bonded.