Blue/DVD/CD compatible optical head

Compatibility with Digital Versatile Disc and Compact Disc has been demonstrated for two options of high-density optical disk systems using a blue laser diode. Option 1 (HD DVD) employs a 0.65 numerical aperture objective lens and a 0.6 mm thick protective layer disk, while Option 2 (Blu-ray Disc) employs a 0.85 numerical aperture objective lens and a 0.1 mm thick protective layer disk. An optical head has three laser diodes whose wavelengths are 405 nm, 660 nm, and 785 nm. A spherical aberration caused by the difference in the protective layer thickness of the disk is corrected by an objective lens magnification change, while the numerical aperture of the objective lens is controlled by a wavelength-selective aperture. Experimental results have shown that Option 1 is more preferable, but Option 2 is also acceptable from the viewpoint of the compatibility.