JP5088702B2 - Polarizing beam splitter, optical pickup and phase plate - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a polarizing beam splitter, an optical pickup, and a phase plate, and more particularly to a polarizing beam splitter, an optical pickup, and a phase plate that change the intensity distribution of a light beam from a light source and guide it to an objective lens.

  In the field of optical pickups and printers, in order to stabilize the amount of light emitted from the laser light source, an automatic power control (APC) that monitors the laser light emitted from the rear end face of the laser light source and controls the amount of emitted light according to the result. ) May be used. However, in this method, the amount of laser light emitted from both the front side and the rear side of the laser light source is strictly different, so that accurate light amount control is difficult to perform by feedback. Further, since the light is emitted also on the side opposite to the desired direction (front) (back), the amount of light emitted from the laser light source cannot be used effectively.

  Therefore, in recent years, a front monitor system in which a part of laser light emitted forward from a laser light source is used as monitor light has been widely used.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, laser light emitted from a semiconductor laser element is converted into parallel light by a coupling lens, transmitted through a separation surface of a beam splitter, converged by an objective lens, and condensed on an optical disk. A light receiving element for monitoring is disposed on the semiconductor laser element side of the light shielding member provided in the optical path between the coupling lens and the beam splitter. A method of realizing the above-described front monitor system by monitoring the amount of emitted light in front of the semiconductor laser element with this light receiving element is disclosed.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, when s-polarized laser light emitted from a laser diode is incident on a half-wave plate, p-polarized laser light is emitted from the half-wave plate, and a polarization beam splitter (hereinafter referred to as a polarization beam splitter). , Called PBS). In PBS, about 90% of the incident light is reflected by the reflecting surface and travels toward the optical disc. On the other hand, about 10% of the incident light passes through the reflecting surface of the PBS and enters the front monitor, where the amount of light is detected. In this way, a method for realizing the above-described front monitor method by monitoring the amount of emitted light in front of the laser diode is disclosed.

  By the way, in Patent Document 1, since the central portion of the light beam emitted from the semiconductor laser element is shielded by the light shielding member and the light receiving element, it is possible to irradiate the optical disk with light with reduced light intensity near the optical axis. it can. As a result, the diameter of the light spot irradiated onto the optical disk can be reduced, and a so-called super-resolution effect corresponding to high-density recording can be obtained.

  However, since the central portion of the light beam is completely shielded by the light shielding member and the light receiving element, the light applied to the optical disk is always light whose light intensity near the optical axis is zero. Therefore, the configuration of Patent Document 1 cannot make the super-resolution effect variable.

  Further, since the light receiving element is disposed in the optical path between the coupling lens and the beam splitter, the amount of light incident on the light receiving element is constant unless the area of the light receiving surface of the light receiving element is changed. That is, unless the area of the light receiving surface is changed, the amount of monitor light at the light receiving element cannot be made variable.

  On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, by appropriately setting the angle formed by the polarization direction (vibration direction) of the laser light emitted from the laser diode and the crystal optical axis of the half-wave plate, the reflection surface of the PBS is set. The incident laser beam can be separated into two laser beams having a predetermined light intensity on the reflection surface. Therefore, the laser light incident on the reflecting surface can be transmitted with a predetermined transmittance without being affected by the wavelength dependence of the optical multilayer film constituting the reflecting surface, and can be used as monitor light in the front monitor system. it can.

  However, in the configuration of Patent Document 2, it is not possible to adjust the intensity of light applied to the optical disc via the PBS so as to drop only near the optical axis. As a result, the above-described super-resolution effect cannot be obtained, and the super-resolution effect cannot be made variable.

  Therefore, in Patent Document 3, as shown in FIG. 8, the polarization of incident light on both sides of a phase plate 160 a having an optical axis inclined with respect to the polarization direction of incident light between a semiconductor laser element (not shown) and PBS 170. A composite phase plate 160 provided with a phase plate 160b having an optical axis parallel to the direction is provided, and the light beam LA at the center of the laser beam is elliptically polarized by the phase plate 160a having the tilted optical axis, so that the center of the laser beam is centered. A part of the light beam LA is transmitted through the polarization reflection surface of the PBS 170.

  As a result, the light transmitted through the polarization reflection surface of the PBS 170 can be used as the monitor light in the front monitor system, and the light intensity near the optical axis can be reduced by transmitting a part of the central light beam LA of the laser light. The dropped light can be irradiated onto the optical disc, and a super-resolution effect can be obtained.

  The phase plate 160 is sandwiched between two plate-like phase plates 160b so that the optical axes of the phase plates 160a and 160b are in a predetermined direction, and sliced into a predetermined thickness. It is obtained by doing.

  In the method of Patent Document 3, the amount of light transmitted through the polarization reflection surface of the PBS 170, that is, the front, is adjusted by adjusting the tilt angle of the optical axis of the phase plate 160a having the optical axis tilted with respect to the polarization direction of incident light. The amount of monitor light in the monitor method can be made variable, and the super-resolution effect can be made variable.

JP-A-7-296414 JP 2004-259376 A JP 2006-185474 A

  However, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 3, as can be seen from the configuration of the phase plate 160, the light intensity distribution of the incident light in the direction in which the three phase plates 160a and 160b are arranged (Y direction in the figure). Although correction is possible, correction of the light intensity distribution in the direction orthogonal to the direction (X direction in the figure) is not possible.

  Furthermore, the phase plate used in the method of Patent Document 3 is a wave plate that uses anisotropy to bring about a phase difference, but such a wave plate is generally very thin and difficult to handle such as processing and bonding. There is difficulty in productivity. On the other hand, when the thickness of the wave plate is increased to facilitate handling, the wavelength dependency is deteriorated and the wave plate does not function in the three wavelength regions of Blu-ray (BD), DVD, and CD. In addition, the dimensional accuracy of the phase plate is strict, and it is difficult to manage the manufacturing accuracy.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, can correct the light intensity distribution in any direction and correct wavefront aberration, and can change the amount of monitor light and the super-resolution effect in the front monitor system. An object of the present invention is to provide a polarizing beam splitter, an optical pickup, and a phase plate that are easy to handle such as processing and adhesion, have a large tolerance of dimensional accuracy, and have high productivity.

  The object of the present invention can be achieved by the following constitution.

1. A prism having polarization separating means;
In a polarization beam splitter provided with a light introduction surface facing the polarization separation means for making incident light from a light source enter the polarization separation means,
A predetermined region that includes the center of the light introduction surface and does not include a peripheral portion is provided with a one-dimensional concavo-convex array having a period equal to or less than the wavelength of the incident light, and generates a polarization component different from the polarization of the incident light to generate a polarization state. A polarization conversion unit for converting
A predetermined region in contact with the outer periphery of the polarization conversion unit and including a peripheral portion of the light introduction surface is provided with a one-dimensional uneven arrangement having a period equal to or less than the wavelength of the incident light, and matches a phase shift with the polarization conversion unit. A wavefront aberration correction unit is formed,
When the incident light is perpendicularly incident on the light introduction surface, the polarization converter includes an incident surface formed by the incident light and reflected light of the incident light from the polarization separation unit, and the light introduction surface. Formed with a predetermined in-plane azimuth angle θ _{1 with} respect to the intersection line,
The wavefront aberration correction unit is formed to be inclined by an in-plane azimuth angle θ ₂ different from the in-plane azimuth angle θ ₁ with respect to the intersection line between the incident surface and the light introduction surface,
The in-plane azimuth angle θ ₂ of the wavefront aberration correction unit is
−15 ° <θ ₂ <15 °
Or
75 ° <θ ₂ <105 °
A polarizing beam splitter characterized by the above.

2. The in-plane azimuth angle θ ₁ of the polarization conversion unit is
35 ° <θ ₁ <55 °
2. The polarizing beam splitter according to 1 above, wherein

3. The ratio f ₁ (= d ₁ / p ₁ ) between the width (d ₁ ) and the period (p ₁ ) of the convex part of the one-dimensional uneven arrangement of the polarization converter is:
0.4 <f ₁ <0.6
And
The ratio f ₂ (= d ₂ / p ₂ ) between the width (d ₂ ) and the period (p ₂ ) of the convex portion of the one-dimensional uneven arrangement of the wavefront aberration correction unit is:
0.3 <f ₂ <0.7
The polarizing beam splitter according to 1 or 2 above, wherein:

  4). The polarization conversion unit includes a first region including the center of the light introduction surface and a second region surrounding the first region, and the one-dimensional uneven arrangement in the first region. 4. The polarization beam splitter according to claim 1, wherein the one-dimensional uneven arrangement in the second region is different from that in the first region.

5. The polarizing beam splitter according to any one of 1 to 4,
A light source that makes light incident on the surface on which the polarization conversion unit of the polarization beam splitter is formed;
An optical system for projecting one of the light from the light source separated by the polarization separating means onto an optical disc, and receiving the reflected light from the optical disc of the projected light;
A light receiving portion for receiving reflected light from the optical disc received by the optical system;
An optical pickup comprising: a light amount monitor unit that receives the other of the light from the light source separated by the polarization separation unit.

  6). 5% or more and 20% or less of the amount of incident light of linearly polarized light incident on the surface on which the polarization conversion unit is formed from the light source is emitted as linearly polarized light having a polarization direction perpendicular to the linearly polarized light. 6. The optical pickup as described in 5 above, wherein an area of the polarization conversion unit and a phase difference at the polarization conversion unit are set.

  7). The area of the polarization conversion unit is an area of ¼ or more and 以下 or less of a beam area of incident light incident on the surface on which the polarization conversion unit is formed from the light source. The optical pickup described in 1.

8). A phase plate as an optical element that converts the polarization state of the central portion of the light beam of incident light from the light source and does not substantially change the polarization state of the peripheral portion,
A predetermined region that includes the center of the light introduction surface on which the incident light is incident and that does not include a peripheral portion includes a one-dimensional uneven arrangement having a period equal to or less than the wavelength of the incident light, and a polarization component that is different from the polarization of the incident light A polarization conversion unit that converts the polarization state by generating
A predetermined region in contact with the outer periphery of the polarization conversion unit and including a peripheral portion of the light introduction surface is provided with a one-dimensional uneven arrangement having a period equal to or less than the wavelength of the incident light, and matches a phase shift with the polarization conversion unit. A wavefront aberration correction unit is formed,
The phase plate, wherein a period direction of the polarization conversion unit and a period direction of the wavefront aberration correction unit are different.

  According to the present invention, the polarization conversion unit having a one-dimensional uneven arrangement having a period equal to or less than the wavelength of the incident light in a predetermined region including the center of the light introduction surface of the polarization beam splitter, and the outer periphery of the polarization conversion unit And a wavefront aberration correction unit in which a one-dimensional uneven arrangement having a period equal to or less than the wavelength of incident light is formed in a predetermined region including the peripheral portion of the light introduction surface. As a result, it is possible to correct the light intensity distribution and wavefront aberration in any direction, easily manufacture products with different amounts of monitor light and super-resolution effects in the front monitor method, and handle processing, bonding, etc. Therefore, it is possible to provide a polarizing beam splitter, an optical pickup, and a phase plate that are easy to achieve, have a large tolerance of dimensional accuracy, and high productivity.

It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating an example of an optical pick-up. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the structure of 1st Embodiment of PBS. It is a schematic diagram which shows the detail of the polarization conversion part and wavefront aberration correction part of 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating an effective refractive index. It is a schematic diagram which shows the light quantity change of the laser beam by the polarization converter of 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the structure of 3rd Embodiment of PBS. It is a schematic diagram which shows the light quantity change of the laser beam by the polarization converter of 3rd Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the conventional PBS.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on the illustrated embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiment. In the drawings, the same or equivalent parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  First, an optical pickup using the polarizing beam splitter according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of an optical pickup. FIG. 1 (a) is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical pickup having a light source with one wavelength, and FIG. 1 (b) has a light source with three wavelengths. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of an optical pick-up.

  In FIG. 1A, the optical pickup 1 includes a polarizing beam splitter (PBS) 10, a light source 20, an optical system 30, a light receiving unit 40, a light amount monitoring unit 50, and the like.

  The PBS 10 is formed by joining two right-angle prisms 11 and 13 with the inclined surfaces facing the right-angle ridges facing each other. In a predetermined region that includes the surface center of the light introduction surface 11a facing the light source 20 of the right-angle prism 11 and does not include the peripheral portion, a polarization conversion unit 15 in which a one-dimensional uneven array having a period equal to or less than the wavelength of incident light is formed. Is provided.

  Further, a wavefront aberration correction unit 16 in which a one-dimensional concavo-convex array having a period equal to or less than the wavelength of the incident light is formed in a predetermined region in contact with the outer periphery of the polarization conversion unit 15 and including the peripheral portion of the light introduction surface 11a. It has been. Each of the polarization conversion unit 15 and the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 has birefringence in which the periodic direction of the uneven arrangement and the direction perpendicular thereto are the optical axes.

  Polarization separation means 17 is formed on one of the inclined surfaces of the two right-angle prisms 11 and 13, and reflects or transmits incident light according to the polarization state of incident light. At this time, a surface including incident light (laser beam 21 described later) and reflected light (incident light 25 on an optical disk 90 described later) is an incident surface. Details of the polarization conversion unit 15, the wavefront aberration correction unit 16, and the polarization separation unit 17 will be described later.

  Here, the PBS 10 is formed by joining the two right-angle prisms 11 and 13 with the inclined surfaces facing the right-angle ridges facing each other, but this is not essential. Further, it is not essential that the prism is a right angle prism.

  The light source 20 is, for example, a blue laser element, and emits laser light having a wavelength of 405 nm as a laser beam 21.

  The optical system 30 includes a quarter wavelength plate 31, an objective lens 33, and the like. The quarter wavelength plate 31 converts linearly polarized light from the PBS 10 into circularly polarized light and converts reflected light (circularly polarized light) from the optical disk 90 into linearly polarized light. The objective lens 33 condenses the circularly polarized light from the quarter wavelength plate 31 on the optical disc 90 and guides the reflected light (circularly polarized light) from the optical disc 90 to the PBS 10 through the quarter wavelength plate 31. .

  The light receiving unit 40 receives the reflected light from the optical disc 90 via the PBS 10 and reads information on the optical disc 90. The light amount monitor unit 50 is the above-described front monitor that receives the light transmitted through the polarization separation unit 17 of the PBS 10, and is used for light amount control of the light source 20.

  Next, the operation of the optical pickup 1 in FIG. A laser beam 21 (for example, s-polarized light) emitted from the light source 20 is incident on the light introduction surface 11a of the right-angle prism 11, and the light beam incident on the polarization conversion unit 15 at the center of the light beam is converted into the polarization conversion unit 15. The polarization state is converted (s-polarized light is converted to elliptically-polarized light) by the phase difference generated in FIG. The light beam incident on the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 at the periphery of the laser beam 21 remains substantially in the original polarization state (s-polarized light).

  The laser beam 21 incident on the inside of the PBS 10 is light that is s-polarized light and elliptically polarized light composed of s-polarized light component and p-polarized light component, that is, light in which s-polarized light and p-polarized light are mixed. In particular, a p-polarized component is mixed in the central portion of the light beam. The laser beam 21 in which the s-polarized light and the p-polarized light are mixed is separated by the polarization separation means 17 of the PBS 10, and the incident light 23 (p-polarized light) entering the light quantity monitor unit 50 is transmitted through the polarization separation means 17 to monitor the light quantity. The light enters the unit 50 and is used for light amount control of the light source 20 as described above. On the other hand, the incident light 25 (s-polarized light) on the optical disk 90 is reflected by the polarization separating means 17 and enters the optical system 30.

  The incident light 25 (s-polarized light) incident on the optical disk 90 that has entered the optical system 30 is converted into circularly polarized light by the quarter-wave plate 31 and is condensed on the optical disk 90 by the objective lens 33. Reflected light 27 (circularly polarized light) from the optical disk 90 including information on the optical disk 90 is guided to the quarter-wave plate 31 by the objective lens 33 and converted into linearly polarized light (p-polarized light) by the quarter-wave plate 31. And guided to the PBS 10.

  The reflected light 27 (p-polarized light) from the optical disk 90 that has entered the PBS 10 passes through the polarization separation means 17 and enters the light receiving unit 40, and information on the optical disk 90 is read by the light receiving unit 40. The operation of the optical pickup 1 in FIG.

  1B, the optical pickup 1 includes a second light source 60, a dichroic prism 70, and the like in addition to FIG.

  The second light source 60 is arranged so that the optical axis is orthogonal to the light source 20 as shown in the figure, and emits light of two wavelengths of, for example, a wavelength of 660 nm (for DVD) and 785 nm (for CD) as a laser beam 61. . As illustrated, the dichroic prism 70 is disposed between the light source 20 and the second light source 60 and the PBS 10, transmits the laser beam 21 from the light source 20, and transmits the two-wavelength laser beam 61 from the light source 60. Reflect and lead to PBS10. Other configurations and operations are the same as those in FIG.

  Note that the light source 20, the second light source 60, and the dichroic prism 70 may be combined and considered as the light source in the present invention.

  When the laser beam 21 emitted from the light source 20 is p-polarized light, the configuration of the optical pickup 1 includes the optical system 30, the optical disc 90, and the light amount monitor unit 50 in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The arrangement may be changed.

  The operation in this case is that the light beam incident on the polarization conversion unit 15 at the center of the light beam of the laser beam 21 (p-polarized light) is converted into elliptically polarized light by the polarization conversion unit 15, and the s-polarized component of the elliptically polarized light is polarized light separating means. 17 is incident on the light amount monitor unit 50 as incident light 23 (s-polarized light) to the light amount monitor unit 50 and used for light amount control of the light source 20.

  On the other hand, the p-polarized component of elliptically polarized light and the light beam around the laser beam 21 (p-polarized light) incident on the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 are transmitted through the polarization separation means 17 and incident light 25 (p-polarized light) on the optical disk 90. Is incident on the optical system 30.

  Incident light 25 (p-polarized light) incident on the optical system 90 that has entered the optical system 30 is converted into circularly polarized light by the quarter-wave plate 31 and condensed on the optical disk 90 by the objective lens 33. Reflected light 27 (circularly polarized light) from the optical disk 90 including information on the optical disk 90 is guided to the quarter-wave plate 31 by the objective lens 33 and converted into linearly polarized light (s-polarized light) by the quarter-wave plate 31. And guided to the PBS 10.

  The reflected light 27 (s-polarized light) from the optical disc 90 that has entered the PBS 10 is reflected by the polarization separation means 17 and enters the light receiving unit 40, and information on the optical disc 90 is read by the light receiving unit 40. The operation of the optical pickup 1 when the laser beam 21 emitted from the light source 20 is p-polarized has been described above.

  Next, the structure of 1st Embodiment of PBS10 in this invention is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the first embodiment of the PBS 10. FIG. 2A is a central sectional view of the PBS 10, and is the same diagram as the PBS 10 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of the light introduction surface 11a of the right-angle prism 11 viewed from the arrow A side, and FIG. 2C shows a state where the laser beam 21 is incident on the light introduction surface 11a of FIG. 2B. It is a schematic diagram. The PBS 10 of the first embodiment corresponds to the case where s-polarized light is incident.

  In FIG. 2A, as described above, the PBS 10 is formed by joining two right-angle prisms 11 and 13 with the slopes 11b and 13b facing the right-angle ridges facing each other. . The size of the PBS 10 is appropriately determined according to the purpose of use, but the length of each side is 1 mm to several tens mm.

  The two right angle prisms 11 and 13 are formed of a transparent medium such as glass. As the transparent medium, optical resins such as PC (polycarbonate) and PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) can be used in addition to glass.

  In a predetermined region that includes the surface center of the light introduction surface 11a facing the light source 20 of the right-angle prism 11 and does not include the peripheral portion, a polarization conversion unit 15 having a one-dimensional uneven arrangement having a period equal to or less than the wavelength of incident light. Is formed. Further, a wavefront aberration correction unit 16 having a one-dimensional uneven arrangement having a period equal to or less than the wavelength of incident light is formed in a predetermined region that is in contact with the outer periphery of the polarization conversion unit 15 and includes the peripheral portion of the light introduction surface 11a. ing.

  As shown in the drawing, the z-axis is set in the direction perpendicular to the light introduction surface 11a in the plane of FIG. 2A, that is, the incident direction of the laser beam 21, and the direction parallel to the light introduction surface 11a, that is, the polarization separation means 17. The x axis is taken in the direction opposite to the outgoing direction of the incident light 25 to the reflected optical disk 90.

  Polarization separation means 17 is formed on the joint surface of one of the two right-angle prisms 11 and 13. The polarization separation means 17 may be one using a normal optical multilayer film or a wire grid type polarizer. The wire grid type polarizer can be formed by, for example, a nanoimprint method using a mold similar to the polarization conversion unit. This method is described in detail, for example, in Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-86395 filed separately by the applicant of the present application.

  In FIG. 2B, on the light introduction surface 11a, the y-axis is taken in the upward direction in the drawing and perpendicular to the x-axis and z-axis shown in FIG. In this case, the traveling direction of the laser beam 21 (the direction from the front to the back of the drawing) is the z axis, the polarization direction of the s-polarized light of the laser beam 21 is parallel to the y-axis direction, and the polarization direction of the p-polarized light is the x-axis. Parallel to the direction.

The polarization conversion unit 15 is formed in a predetermined area including the surface center of the light introduction surface 11a of the right-angle prism 11 and not including the peripheral part, with an area S15 smaller than an area S21 of a laser beam 21 described later. The polarization conversion unit 15 is a one-dimensional concavo-convex array having a period equal to or less than the wavelength of incident light, and the periodic direction (TM direction) of the array is relative to the x axis when viewed from the positive side of the z axis. angle Te counterclockwise theta ₁ is formed at an _{(hereinafter,} referred to as in-plane azimuth angle theta _1).

  The polarization conversion unit 15 is preferably a circle, an ellipse, or an n-gon (n ≧ 4) symmetrical to the x-axis and the y-axis. By doing so, the shape of the incident light 25 on the optical disk 90 becomes symmetric and does not affect signal detection or the like. In the drawing, an elliptical shape is used in accordance with the shape of a light beam of a laser beam 21 to be described later.

  The wavefront aberration correction unit 16 is in contact with the outer periphery of the polarization conversion unit 15 of the right-angle prism 11 and is formed on a predetermined region including the peripheral portion of the light introduction surface 11a, here the entire surface of the light introduction surface 11a excluding the polarization conversion unit 15. . However, the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 does not necessarily have to be formed on the entire surface of the light introduction surface 11a excluding the polarization conversion unit 15, and may have a size that includes all of the light beam of a laser beam 21 described later.

The wavefront aberration correction unit 16 is a one-dimensional concavo-convex array having a period equal to or less than the wavelength of incident light, and the periodic direction (TM direction) of the array is the x-axis when viewed from the positive side of the z-axis. On the other hand, the in-plane azimuth angle θ ₂ is formed counterclockwise. The in-plane azimuth angle θ ₂ is an angle smaller than the in-plane azimuth angle θ ₁ of the polarization converter 15. Here, a surface perpendicular to the light introduction surface 11a and inclined by θ _{2 with} respect to the x-axis is defined as a BB ′ surface.

  In FIG. 2C, the laser beam 21 from the light source 20 is incident on the light introduction surface 11 a of the right-angle prism 11. The shape of the light beam of the laser beam 21 is generally elliptical, and the light quantity distribution of the laser beam 21 is considered to be an axisymmetric Gaussian distribution with respect to the central axis of the laser beam 21. The laser beam 21 is incident so that the central axis thereof coincides with the surface center of the light introduction surface 11a.

  Here, it is assumed that the area of the laser beam 21 is S21 and the longitudinal direction of the elliptical shape is incident to the full width of the light introduction surface 11a, that is, all the laser beams 21 from the light source 20 are incident on the light introduction surface 11a. As a result, as shown in the drawing, the light beam near the central axis of the laser beam 21 enters the polarization conversion unit 15, and the peripheral light beam enters the wavefront aberration correction unit 16.

  Next, details of the polarization conversion unit 15 and the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 in the first embodiment of the PBS 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating details of the polarization conversion unit 15 and the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3A illustrates the above-described BB ′ passing through the center of the light introduction surface 11a. FIG. 3B is a schematic perspective view of the cross section of the plane. In FIG. 3B, the polarization conversion unit 15 is shown as a quadrangle.

3 (a) and 3 (b), the polarization conversion unit 15 is a one-dimensional uneven arrangement having a period of less than or equal to the wavelength of incident light (for example, 405 nm of blue laser), and the protrusion 15a having a width d ₁ , a recess 15b with only difference h with respect to the convex portions 15a are arranged one-dimensionally in a comb shape with a period p _1.

In the wavefront aberration correction unit 16, convex portions 16 a having a width d ₂ and concave portions 16 b are arranged one-dimensionally in a comb shape with a period p ₂ . The convex portion 16a and the protrusion 15a of the polarization conversion section 15 is the same plane, the step of the recess 16b and the recess 15b of the polarization conversion section 15 and _{g 1.} When the uneven step of the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 is smaller than the uneven step h of the polarization conversion unit 15, the value of the step g ₁ is positive, that is, when the uneven step of the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 becomes large, that is, the polarization conversion unit 15. a negative value of the step g ₁ in the case of deeper than irregular steps h. In order to simplify the description to be described later, the convex portion 15a and the convex portion 16a are assumed to be the same surface here, but this is not essential.

As described above, the polarization conversion unit 15 is inclined by the in-plane azimuth angle θ _{1 with} respect to the x axis, and the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 is inclined by the in-plane azimuth angle θ _{2 with} respect to the x axis. Accordingly, the cross-section of the xz plane of FIG. 3 (a), the width of the apparent protrusion 15a of the width _{d 1} is _{d 1 / cos (θ 1 -θ} 2), period _{p 1} / cos _(θ 1 −θ ₂ ).

Although details will be described later, by appropriately setting the step h between the convex portion 15a and the concave portion 15b of the polarization conversion unit 15 and the step (h−g ₁ ) between the convex portion 16a and the concave portion 16b of the wavefront aberration correcting unit 16. The phase of the wavefront of the incident light between the polarization conversion unit 15 and the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 can be matched, and wavefront aberration can be suppressed.

  The uneven arrangement of the polarization conversion unit 15 and the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 is formed by transferring the uneven structure of the mold by a nanoimprint method using the mold. The polarization conversion unit 15 and the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 may be formed directly on the light introducing surface 11a of the right-angle prism 11, or the polarization conversion unit 15 and the wavefront aberration correction unit on a transparent medium plate different from the PBS 10. 16 may be formed, and a transparent medium plate may be affixed on the light introduction surface 11a.

  In the first embodiment, it is assumed that the polarization converter 15 is directly formed on the light introduction surface 11 a of the right-angle prism 11. A method for forming a concavo-convex array by a nanoimprint method using a mold is described in detail, for example, in Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-241887 filed separately by the applicant of the present application.

Here, considering the ratio f ₁ (= d ₁ / p ₁ ) between the width d ₁ of the convex portion 15 a of the polarization converting portion 15 and the period p _{1 of the} concave and convex portions, from the viewpoint of transferability of the concave and convex structure of the mold, The ratio f ₁ is
0.4 <f ₁ <0.6
Is preferred. Similarly, the ratio f ₂ (= d ₂ / p ₂ ) between the width d ₂ of the convex portion 16 a of the wavefront aberration correcting unit 16 and the period p _{2 of the} concave and convex portions is:
0.3 <f ₂ <0.7
Is preferred.

Similarly, from the viewpoint of transferability of the uneven structure of the mold, the period p ₁ of the unevenness of the polarization converter 15 and the period p ₂ of the unevenness of the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 are:
50 nm <p ₁ <wavelength λ of incident light
50 nm <p ₂ <incident light wavelength λ
Is preferred.

  Subsequently, conversion of the polarization state of the laser beam 21 and correction of wavefront aberration by the polarization conversion unit 15 and the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 in the first embodiment of the PBS 10 shown in FIG. 3A will be described.

  The amount by which the polarization state of the laser beam 21 is converted from s-polarized light to p-polarized light by the polarization converter 15 is preferably 5% or more and 20% or less of the light amount of the laser beam 21. If the amount is less than 5%, the amount of light incident on the light amount monitor unit 50 is insufficient and the light amount control of the light source 20 is hindered. This is because there is a shortage.

First, the refractive index of the polarization converter 15 differs in a direction parallel to the one-dimensional uneven arrangement (referred to as the TE direction) and a direction perpendicular to the TE direction (referred to as the TM direction). _{When 1} is sufficiently smaller than the wavelength of light,

Can be described.

here,
n _air : refractive index of air (= 1.0)
n _gl: refractive index n _TE1 of the transparent medium that forms a polarization conversion section _15: polarized refractive index parallel TE direction one-dimensional irregularities array of optical conversion section 15 n _TM1: the one-dimensional irregularity array of polarization conversion section 15 The refractive index in the vertical TM direction.

In addition, when the period p ₁ is about the wavelength of light, the refractive index of the polarization conversion unit 15 uses n _TE1 and n _TM1 described above,

Can be described.

here,
n _TE: period p ₁ is the refractive index of the parallel TE direction one-dimensional irregularities array of polarization conversion section 15 in the case of the order of the wavelength of light n _TM: polarization conversion unit when the period p ₁ is on the order of the wavelength of light 15 The refractive index in the TM direction perpendicular to the one-dimensional uneven arrangement.

  And so as to have a desired phase difference Γ (α) with respect to the wavelength λ of the incident light,

By selecting the step h from the above, the polarization conversion unit 15 is formed.

here,
α: phase difference m ₁ ; an integer.

Here, the effective refractive index _ne1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the effective refractive index _ne1 .

In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), the polarization conversion section 15, the period direction of the uneven arrangement (TM direction), is inclined by plane azimuth theta ₁ with respect to the x-axis. That is, as shown in FIG. 4A, the refractive index of the polarization conversion unit 15 includes a refractive index n _{TM in} the TM direction inclined by θ _{1 with} respect to the x axis and a refractive index in the TE direction perpendicular to the TM direction. each double the n _TE expressed by the refractive index ellipsoid RE to the major axis to the minor axis.

As will be described later, when the incident light is s-polarized light, the polarization direction of the s-polarized light is the y-axis direction, and thus the refractive index acting on the s-polarized light is indicated by the contact point between the y-axis and the refractive index ellipsoid RE. Refractive index. This is the effective refractive index _ne1 . When the incident light is p-polarized light, the refractive index indicated by the contact point between the x-axis and the refractive index ellipsoid RE is the effective refractive index _ne1 .

As shown in FIG. 4B, the y-axis, that is, the effective refractive index n _e1 is inclined by the angle θ _{1 with} respect to the TE direction. Therefore, the TM component and the TE component of the effective refractive index _ne1 are
TM = n _e1 sin θ ₁
TE = n _e1 cos θ ₁
It is. These and the formula showing the refractive index ellipsoid RE

From the above, the effective refractive index n _e1 is

It is.

  Next, a change in the polarization state of the laser beam 21 by the polarization converter 15 is introduced. First, when all of the s-polarized laser beam 21 is incident on the polarization converter 15, the amount of light whose polarization state changes from s-polarized light to p-polarized light is guided. In the coordinate system shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the polarization direction of the s-polarized light is the y-axis direction.

Suppose that the s-polarized light is converted to p-polarized light by the action of the polarization conversion unit 15.

First, when the phase difference of the polarization converter 15 when the in-plane azimuth angle θ ₁ = 0 ° (parallel to the x-axis) is Γ,
The Jones matrix A of the polarization converter 15 is

It can be expressed.

Next, when the in-plane azimuth angle is θ ₁ , the Jones matrix A ′ of the polarization conversion unit 15 uses the matrix A described above,
A ′ = R (θ ₁ ) · A · R (−θ ₁ )
It can be expressed.

  here,

It is.

  By passing through the polarization converter 15, the electric field strength of the light is

It becomes.

  Therefore, the square of the absolute value of the x component of the electric field intensity of light indicating the amount of p-polarized light is

It becomes.

The in-plane azimuth angle θ ₁ of the polarization conversion unit 15 will be described in detail later. In order to increase the amount of p-polarized light converted from s-polarized light to p-polarized light by the polarization conversion unit 15,
35 ° <θ ₁ <55 °
Is preferred,
40 ° <θ ₁ <50 °
Is more preferable. When the in-plane azimuth angle θ ₁ = 45 °, (Equation 9) is maximized.

  Outside this range, in order to increase the amount of p-polarized light, the phase difference Γ must be increased. For this purpose, the step h increases and the moldability deteriorates.

Next, the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 will be described. Returning to FIG. 3 (a), like the light C indicated by the arrow in the figure, the light incident on the convex portion 15a of the polarization conversion portion 15 from the air is projected from the interface between the air and the convex portion 15a to the convex portion 15a. The phase ph ₁₅ when the step h with respect to the concave portion 15b is advanced is obtained by using the above-described effective refractive index _ne1 .

It can be expressed.

On the other hand, the phase ph ₁₆ when the light D incident from the air on the convex portion 16a of the wavefront aberration correcting unit 16 travels by h from the interface between the air and the convex portion 15a as in the light C described above is

It can be expressed.

Here, the effective refractive index _{n e2} of the wavefront aberration correction unit 16, like the (Expression 6),

It is.

In general, if the absolute value | ph ₁₅ -ph ₁₆ | of the phase shift between the light C and the light D is 20/1000 times or less, the laser beam image on the optical disk 90 is blurred due to wavefront aberration, and the data It is said that it will not interfere with reading. Therefore, the phase shift (ph ₁₅ -ph ₁₆ ) between the light C and the light D is

If you choose a step g ₁ between the polarization converter 15 and the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 so as to satisfy the can ignore the wavefront aberration.

Similar to the polarization conversion unit 15, the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 includes a one-dimensional uneven arrangement having a period equal to or shorter than the wavelength. When the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 is not present, that is, when the periphery of the polarization conversion unit 15 is a plane made of glass or a resin material, the refractive index difference between the polarization conversion unit 15 and the periphery is large, and the polarization conversion unit 15 and the periphery thereof It is difficult to make the wave fronts coincide. The effective refractive index _ne2 of the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 is expressed by (Expression 7), and the difference in refractive index between the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 and the polarization conversion unit 15 is small. Therefore, a step g ₁ of a polarization conversion unit 15 wavefront aberration correcting unit 16 by appropriately setting, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of wavefront aberration.

The in-plane azimuth angle θ ₂ of the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 is
−15 ° <θ ₂ <15 °
Meet. In this case, the effective refractive index n _e2 is substantially _nTE , and the p-polarized light component is not substantially generated. Therefore, the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 does not substantially convert the s-polarized light into elliptically polarized light. As a result, almost the entire amount of the light beam incident on the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 is reflected by the polarization separation means 17.

  Detailed examples of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Example 1
Here, for example, BK7 (n _gl = 1.53) is used as the transparent medium constituting the PBS 10, the polarization conversion unit 15, and the wavefront aberration correction unit 16, and λ = 405 nm, h = 570 nm, p ₁ = p ₂ = 400 nm. Assuming that f ₁ = f ₂ = 0.5 and substituting into (Expression 5) through (Expression 5), a phase difference Γ = 1.07 rad is obtained.

Substituting the phase difference Γ = 1.07 rad and the in-plane azimuth angle θ ₁ = 45 ° maximizing (Equation 9) into (Equation 9), n _e1 = 1.36,

It becomes.

  That is, when all of the s-polarized laser beam 21 is incident on the polarization conversion unit 15, 26% of the incident light amount is changed to p-polarized light and is guided to the light amount monitor unit 50. Therefore, if the area of the polarization converter 15 is set so that 5/26 to 20/26 of the light amount of the laser beam 21 is incident on the polarization converter 15, the polarization state of the laser beam 21 is changed by the polarization converter 15 described above. The condition (5% or more and 20% or less) for changing from s-polarized light to p-polarized light can be satisfied.

At this time, if the concavo-convex structure of the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 is parallel to the y-axis, that is, the in-plane azimuth angle θ ₂ = 0 °, n _e2 = 1.42, and from (Equation 9), the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 Even if the s-polarized laser beam 21 is incident, the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 does not convert the s-polarized light into p-polarized light.

  Further, from (Equation 9), the square of the absolute value of the x component of the electric field intensity of light indicating the amount of p-polarized light is:

Thus, the influence of conversion from s-polarized light to p-polarized light by the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 can be suppressed to a negligible level.

At this time, by substituting a numerical value into the condition of (Equation 8) and obtaining the condition of the step g ₁ between the polarization conversion unit 15 and the wavefront aberration correction unit 16,
−50 nm ≦ g ₁ ≦ 30 nm
Next, it is possible to widen the tolerance of the dimensional precision of the step g _1.

  That is, by setting the step g between the polarization conversion unit 15 and the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 so as to satisfy the above-described conditions, the light amount monitor unit can reduce the incident light amount up to 26% while reducing the wavefront aberration to a negligible level. 50 can be led.

  If the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 is not provided, in order to guide the incident light to the light amount monitoring unit 50 while reducing the wavefront aberration, it is necessary to set the step difference h = 2415 nm between the convex portion 15a and the concave portion 15b. However, such a very large step h compared to the wavelength of light is not feasible from the viewpoint of mold manufacture and transferability of the uneven arrangement of the mold.

  On the other hand, as described above, by providing the polarization conversion unit 15 and the wavefront aberration correction unit 16, the steps h and g can be made as small as the wavelength of the light, and the mold can be easily manufactured. The transferability of the uneven arrangement can be improved.

Similarly, the refractive index n _gl = 1.53 of the glass material of the transparent medium and the wavelength λ = 405 nm of the incident light are fixed, and the other parameters f ₁ , f ₂ , θ ₁ , θ ₂ , h, g ₁ is varied for each parameter, a phase shift calculation result so as to satisfy (8 formulas), shown in Table 1.

When the ratio of the convex portion width d ₂ and the period p ₂ of the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 is f ₂ = 0.4, the effective refractive index n _e2 = 1.37, and the effective refractive index n _e1 of the polarization conversion unit 15 = Very close to 1.36. As a result, the allowable amount of the step g ₁ is expanding.

(Example 2)
Next, the glass material of the transparent medium is changed to SK10 (n _gl = 1.63) having a refractive index higher than that of BK7 (n _gl = 1.53), and λ = 405 nm, h = 500 nm, p ₁ = p _{When 2} = 400 nm and f ₁ = f ₂ = 0.5 are substituted into (Expression 1) to (Expression 5), a phase difference Γ = 1.36 rad is obtained.

Further, the in-plane azimuth angles θ ₁ = 45 ° and θ ₂ = 0 °, so that n _e1 = 1.46 and n _e2 = 1.56. Substituting into (Equation 9)

It becomes.

  That is, when all of the s-polarized laser beam 21 is incident on the polarization conversion unit 15, 40% of the incident light amount is changed to p-polarized light and guided to the light amount monitor unit 50.

In this case, similarly to (Example 1), the refractive index n _gl = 1.63 of the glass material of the transparent medium and the wavelength λ = 405 nm of the incident light are fixed, and the other parameters f ₁ and f ₂ are fixed. Table 2 shows the result of calculation so that the phase shift satisfies (Equation 8) by changing, θ ₁ , θ ₂ , h, g ₁ for each parameter.

For example, the condition of the step g ₁ between the polarization conversion unit 15 and the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 is:
−120 nm ≦ g ₁ ≦ 55 nm
Thus, the allowable width of the dimensional accuracy of the step g can be widened.

  By setting the step g between the polarization conversion unit 15 and the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 so as to satisfy the above-described conditions, it is possible to guide the light amount monitor unit 50 up to 40% of the incident light amount while reducing the wavefront aberration. It becomes.

(Example 3)
Further, the glass material of the transparent medium is changed to S-LAH66 (n _gl = 1.79) having a higher refractive index, and λ = 405 nm, h = 300 nm, p ₁ = p ₂ = 400 nm, f ₁ = f ₂ = 0.5 and substituting into (Expression 5) through (Expression 5), the phase difference Γ = 1.44 rad.

Similarly, in-plane azimuth angles θ ₁ = 45 ° and θ ₂ = 0 °, ne ₁ = 1.61, ne ₂ = 1.76. Substituting into (Equation 9)

It becomes. That is, when all of the s-polarized laser beam 21 is incident on the polarization conversion unit 15, 43% of the incident light amount changes to p-polarized light and is guided to the light amount monitor unit 50.

In this case, similarly to (Example 1), the refractive index n _gl = 1.79 of the glass material of the transparent medium and the wavelength λ = 405 nm of the incident light are fixed, and the other parameters f ₁ and f ₂ are fixed. Table 3 shows the results of calculation so that the phase shift satisfies (Equation 8) by changing, θ ₁ , θ ₂ , h, g ₁ for each parameter.

For example, the condition of the step g ₁ between the polarization conversion unit 15 and the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 is:
−420 nm ≦ g ₁ ≦ 23 nm
Thus, the allowable width of the dimensional accuracy of the step g can be widened. By setting the level difference g ₁ between the polarization conversion unit 15 and the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 so as to satisfy the above-described conditions, it is possible to guide the light amount monitor unit 50 to a maximum of 43% of the incident light amount while reducing the wavefront aberration. It becomes possible.

  As can be seen from the results of Examples 1 to 3 described above, the higher the refractive index of the transparent medium, the larger the phase difference Γ obtained even if the step h is small. In other words, as the refractive index of the transparent medium is higher, the level difference h required to obtain the predetermined phase difference Γ can be made smaller, so that the transferability of the uneven structure of the mold is further improved.

  In general, BK7 is often used for the glass material of PBS10. In that case, as in a third embodiment of the PBS 10 described later, the polarization conversion unit 15 and the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 are formed on the light introduction surface 11a of the right-angle prism 11 of the BK7 and on the surface of the flat plate of the SK10 or S-LAH66. What is formed may be pasted. In that case, it is preferable to apply a matching coat (antireflection coating) to the interface between the light introduction surface 11a of the right-angle prism 11 and the flat plate having the polarization conversion portion 15 formed on the surface.

  Next, a change in the light amount of the laser beam 21 by the polarization conversion unit 15 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a change in the light amount of the laser beam 21 by the polarization conversion unit 15 of the first embodiment. The horizontal axis shows the laser beam 21 on the x-axis or y-axis shown in FIG. The position is shown on the vertical axis, and the light quantity of the laser beam 21 is shown.

  In FIG. 5, the light amount distribution of the laser beam 21 is considered to be a Gaussian distribution that is axisymmetric with respect to the central axis of the laser beam 21 as indicated by a thick broken line 21D. When the laser beam 21 is incident on the light introduction surface 11 a of the right-angle prism 11, the polarization state of the light near the central axis of the laser beam 21 incident on the polarization conversion unit 15 is converted from s-polarized light to elliptically polarized light.

  The p-polarized light component 23 of elliptically polarized light is transmitted through the polarization separating means 17 and is incident on the light amount monitor unit 50. The amount of light is 23D indicated by hatching in FIG.

  On the other hand, the laser light (s-polarized light) 25 reflected by the polarization separating means 17 and incident on the optical disk 90 has a light quantity distribution shown as 25D in FIG. 5, and the light quantity near the central axis of the laser beam 21 is attenuated. The light distribution is almost flat.

  Further, the intensity of the p-polarized component generated in the wavefront aberration correcting unit 16 is smaller than the intensity of the p-polarized component generated in the polarization converting unit 15, so that almost all of the light transmitted through the wavefront aberration correcting unit 16 is polarized. Reflected by the separating means 17, the shape of the periphery of the laser beam 21 does not substantially change. Therefore, a super-resolution effect can be realized.

  That is, by using the polarization conversion unit 15 described above, it is possible to realize a front monitor while ensuring the amount of light incident on the light amount monitor unit 50, and also realize the super-resolution effect of the laser light 25 incident on the optical disc 90. can do.

  In order to obtain the super-resolution effect, it is desirable that the area S15 of the polarization converter 15 shown in FIG. 2B is not less than 1/4 and not more than 1/3 of the beam area S21 of the laser beam 21. . If it exceeds 1/3, the falling edge of the light amount in the vicinity of the central axis of the laser beam 21 becomes too close to the end of the area of the laser beam 21, and a sufficient super-resolution effect cannot be obtained, and is less than 1/4. This is because the amount of light fall in the vicinity of the central axis of the laser beam 21 is insufficient, and a sufficient super-resolution effect cannot be obtained.

Next, a second embodiment of the PBS 10 in the present invention will be described. The PBS 10 of the second embodiment corresponds to the case where p-polarized light is incident. The PBS 10 of the second embodiment is different from the PBS 10 of the first embodiment in the in-plane azimuth angle θ ₂ of the wavefront aberration correction unit 16, and the rest is the same as the PBS 10 of the first embodiment. Therefore, explanation is omitted.

The in-plane azimuth angle θ ₂ of the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 is set so as not to substantially generate an s-polarized component with respect to incident p-polarized light.

The in-plane azimuth angle θ ₁ of the polarization conversion unit 15 increases the amount of s-polarized light converted from p-polarized light to s-polarized light by the polarization conversion unit 15.
35 ° <θ ₁ <55 °
Is preferred,
40 ° <θ ₁ <50 °
Is more preferable.

The in-plane azimuth angle θ ₂ of the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 is
75 ° <θ ₂ <105 °
Meet. In this case, the effective refractive index _ne2 is substantially _nTE , and the s-polarized light component is not substantially generated. Therefore, the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 does not substantially convert the p-polarized light into elliptically polarized light. As a result, almost all of the light beam incident on the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 is transmitted through the polarization separation means 17.

The in-plane azimuth angle θ ₂ of the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 is
−15 ° <θ ₂ <15 °
It may be. Even in this case, the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 does not substantially convert p-polarized light into elliptically polarized light. In this case, the effective refractive index n _e2 is substantially n _TM . If the effective refractive index n _e2 is closer to the effective refractive index n _e1 of the polarization converter 15 than the refractive index n _gl of the transparent medium constituting the prism and satisfies (Equation 8), the allowable amount of the step g ₁ is set. Can be bigger.

Note that the idea that the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 may be configured so that the effective refractive index n _e2 is substantially n _TM is the same in the first embodiment.

As described above, according to the first and second embodiments of the PBS 10 of the present invention, the one-dimensional pattern having a period equal to or less than the wavelength of the incident light in the predetermined region including the surface center of the light introduction surface of the polarization beam splitter. A polarization conversion portion formed with an in-plane azimuth angle θ ₁ and a predetermined region in contact with the outer periphery of the polarization conversion portion and including the peripheral portion of the light introduction surface has a period equal to or less than the wavelength of the incident light And a wavefront aberration correction unit in which the one-dimensional concavo-convex arrangement is formed with an in-plane azimuth angle θ ₂ (≠ θ ₁ ). As a result, it is possible to correct the light intensity distribution and wavefront aberration in any direction, easily manufacture products with different amounts of monitor light and super-resolution effects in the front monitor method, and handle processing, bonding, etc. Therefore, it is possible to provide a polarizing beam splitter and an optical pickup that are easy to perform, have a large tolerance of dimensional accuracy, and high productivity.

  Next, a third embodiment of the PBS 10 in the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 6A and 6B are schematic diagrams for explaining the configuration of the third embodiment of the PBS 10, in which FIG. 6A is a central sectional view of the PBS 10, and FIG. 6B is a diagram of the PBS 10 in FIG. 6A. It is a cross-sectional enlarged view of the polarization converter 15 in the third embodiment.

  6 (a), the PBS 10 of the third embodiment is different from the PBS 10 of the first embodiment of FIG. 2 (a) in that the polarization conversion unit 15 and the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 include a right-angle prism 11. Is formed directly on the light introduction surface 12a of the transparent medium flat plate 12, and the back surface 12b of the transparent medium flat plate 12 is attached to the light introduction surface 11a of the right-angle prism 11. And the configuration of the polarization conversion unit 15. Others are the same as the PBS 10 of the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  The transparent medium flat plate 12 may be made of glass or optical resin such as PC (polycarbonate) or PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate).

The polarization converter 15 formed on the light introduction surface 12a of the transparent medium flat plate 12 has a laser beam at a predetermined position including the center of the light introduction surface 12a, as shown in FIGS. 2 (b) and 2 (c). The area S15 is smaller than the area S21 of the area 21 and is inclined by the in-plane azimuth angle θ _{1 with} respect to the x-axis. Since the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted, and the polarization conversion unit 15 passes through the center of the light introduction surface 12a, is perpendicular to the light introduction surface 12a, and FIG. 6B shows a cross section taken along a plane inclined by the in-plane azimuth angle θ _{1 with} respect to the x-axis.

In FIG. 6B, in the third embodiment, the polarization converter 15 includes a first region 151 including the surface center of the light introduction surface 12a and a second region 153 surrounding the first region 151. Is done. Each of the first region 151 and the second region 153 includes a one-dimensional concavo-convex array having a period equal to or shorter than the wavelength of incident light (for example, 405 nm of blue laser). Here, the in-plane azimuth angle θ ₁ of the first region 151 and the second region 153 is the same.

The first region 151 includes a convex portion 15a having a width _{d 1,} and a recess 15b in which only a level difference h with respect to the convex portions 15a are arranged one-dimensionally in a comb shape with a period _{p 1.}

Similarly, the second region 153, a second protrusion 15c having a width _{d 1} which is in the same plane and the convex portion 15a, the second recess 15d and the period p with a step by _{g 2} relative to the recess 15b ₁ are arranged one-dimensionally in a comb shape. As a result, the first region 151 can convert the linearly polarized light of the incident light into elliptically polarized light including more polarization components perpendicular thereto than the second region 153. Here, the convex portion 15a and the convex portion 16a are assumed to be the same surface, but this is not essential as in the first embodiment.

  The shape of the outer periphery of the first region and the second region of the polarization conversion unit 15 is preferably a circle, an ellipse, or an n-gon (n ≧ 4) symmetrical to the x-axis and the y-axis. By doing so, the shape of the incident light 25 on the optical disk 90 becomes symmetric and does not affect signal detection or the like.

Similarly to the first embodiment, the step h between the convex portion 15a and the concave portion 15b, the step g ₂ between the concave portion 15b and the second concave portion 15d, and the step g between the concave portion 15b and the concave portion 16b of the wavefront aberration correcting unit 16 ₁ by appropriately setting, it is possible to match the wavefront phase of the incident light between the first region 151 and second region 153 and the wavefront aberration correction unit 16 of the polarization conversion section 15, suppress the wavefront aberration be able to. Furthermore, the steps h, g ₂ , and g ₁ can be made as small as the wavelength of light, respectively, and transferability can be improved.

  A change in the light amount of the laser beam 21 when the polarization converter 15 of the third embodiment described above is used will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a change in the amount of light of the laser beam 21 by the polarization converter 15 of the third embodiment. The horizontal axis represents the x-axis or y-axis laser beam 21 shown in FIG. The position is shown on the vertical axis, and the light quantity of the laser beam 21 is shown.

  In FIG. 7, the light amount distribution of the laser beam 21 is considered to be a Gaussian distribution that is axisymmetric with respect to the central axis of the laser beam 21 indicated by the thick broken line 21D, as in FIG. When the laser beam 21 is incident on the light introduction surface 12 a of the transparent medium flat plate 12, the polarization state of the light in the vicinity of the central axis of the laser beam 21 incident on the concave and convex arrangement of the step h of the first region 151 of the polarization conversion unit 15. Are converted from s-polarized light to elliptically polarized light.

At the same time, the polarization state of the light slightly separated from the central axis of the laser beam 21 incident on the unevenness of the step (hg ₂ ) of the second region 153 of the polarization converter 15 is converted from s-polarized light to elliptically-polarized light. The Since the level difference (h−g ₂ ) is smaller than the level difference h, the conversion rate to elliptically polarized light by the uneven arrangement of the second region 153 is lower than the conversion rate by the uneven arrangement of the first region 151. The p-polarized light component 23 of elliptically polarized light is transmitted through the polarization separating means 17 and is incident on the light amount monitor unit 50. The amount of light is 23D indicated by hatching in FIG.

  On the other hand, the laser light (s-polarized light) 25 reflected by the polarization separating means 17 and entering the optical disk 90 has a light quantity distribution shown as 25D in FIG. Compared with the laser beam (s-polarized light) 25 incident on the optical disk 90 shown in FIG. 5, the light quantity near the central axis of the laser beam 21 is closer to a flat shape and closer to a rectangular shape. It is possible to realize a super-resolution effect that is even greater than the light amount distribution.

  Therefore, by using the polarization conversion unit 15 of the third embodiment described above, it is possible to realize a front monitor while ensuring the amount of light incident on the light amount monitor unit 50, and the laser beam 25 incident on the optical disc 90. Thus, a larger super-resolution effect can be realized.

  As in the first embodiment, in order to obtain the super-resolution effect, the area S15 of the polarization converter 15 is not less than 1/4 and not more than 1/3 of the beam area S21 of the laser beam 21. Is desirable.

In the third embodiment described above, the polarization converter 15 is
(1) The level difference h (h−g ₂ ) between the first region 151 and the second region 153 is different, but the difference between the first region 151 and the second region 153 is that For example, not limited
(2) The in-plane azimuth angle θ ₁ differs between the first region 151 and the second region 153. (3) The period p ₁ of the uneven arrangement between the first region 151 and the second region 153 is different (4 ) The first region 151 and the second region 153 may be different in f ₁ (= width of convex portion d ₁ / period p _{1 of} concave / convex arrangement).

  As shown in the first embodiment, the conversion rate for converting linearly polarized light into elliptically polarized light in the polarization conversion unit 15 changes regardless of which of the four parameters described above is changed. Therefore, the desired polarization conversion unit 15 can be obtained by changing these four parameters alone or in an appropriate combination. In any case, the first region 151 can convert the linearly polarized light of the incident light into elliptically polarized light including more polarization components perpendicular to the first region 151 than the second region 153. Each parameter may be set.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment of the PBS 10 of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the first region 151 and the second region 153 are included, thereby providing a laser. Since the amount of light in the vicinity of the central axis of the beam 21 is more flat and closer to a rectangular shape, a larger super-resolution effect than that of the first embodiment can be realized.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the polarization conversion unit in which a one-dimensional concavo-convex array having a period equal to or less than the wavelength of incident light is formed in a predetermined region including the center of the light introduction surface of the polarization beam splitter; And a wavefront aberration correction unit in which a one-dimensional concavo-convex array having a period equal to or less than the wavelength of incident light is formed in a predetermined region including the periphery of the light introduction surface in contact with the outer periphery of the polarization conversion unit. As a result, it is possible to correct the light intensity distribution and wavefront aberration in any direction, easily manufacture products with different amounts of monitor light and super-resolution effects in the front monitor method, and handle processing, bonding, etc. Therefore, it is possible to provide a polarizing beam splitter and an optical pickup that are easy to perform, have a large tolerance of dimensional accuracy, and high productivity.

  It should be noted that the detailed configuration and detailed operation of each component constituting the polarizing beam splitter and the optical pickup according to the present invention can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 Optical pickup 10 Polarizing beam splitter (PBS)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11, 13 Right angle prism 11a Light introduction surface (of right angle prism 11) 12 Transparent medium flat plate 12a Light introduction surface 12a (of transparent medium flat plate 12) Back surface 15 (of transparent medium flat plate 12) 15 Polarization conversion unit 151 (of polarization conversion unit 15) ) 1st area | region 153 2nd area | region 15a (of the polarization conversion part 15) Convex part 15b (of the polarization conversion part 15) Concave part 15c (of the polarization conversion part 15) 2nd convex part 15d (of the polarization conversion part 15) Second concave part (of the polarization conversion part 15) 16 Wavefront aberration correction part 16a Convex part (of the polarization conversion part 16) 16b Concave part (of the polarization conversion part 16) 17 Polarization separation film 20 Light source 21 Laser beam 21D Light quantity of the laser beam 21 Distribution 23 Light incident on the light quantity monitor 50 (p-polarized light)
23D Light quantity incident on the light quantity monitor unit 50 (p-polarized light) 23 Light quantity incident on the optical disk 90 25D Light quantity distribution of the incident light 25 on the optical disk 90 27 Reflected light from the optical disk 90 30 Optical system 31 1/4 wavelength plate 33 Objective lens 40 Light receiving unit 50 Light amount monitoring unit 60 Second light source 61 Two-wavelength laser beam 70 Dichroic prism d ₁ Width of convex portion 15 a (of polarization conversion unit 15) d ₂ (convex portion of wavefront aberration correcting unit 16) The width p _{1 of the} concave / convex array (of the polarization conversion section 15) p ₂ The period of the concave / convex arrangement (of the wavefront aberration correction section 16) f ₁ The width d _{1 of the} convex section (of the polarization conversion section 15) and the period p ₁ Ratio (= d ₁ / p ₁ )
f ₂ (wavefront aberration correcting unit 16) the ratio between the width _{d 2} and the period _{p 2} of the projections ₍₌ d 2 _{/ p} 2)
g ₁ Step difference between the recess 15b (of the polarization converter 15) and the recess 16b (of the wavefront aberration correction unit 16) g ₂ Step difference between the recess 15b (of the polarization converter 15) and the second recess 15d (polarization converter) 15) Step 15a between convex part 15a and concave part 15b S15 (polarization conversion part 15) area S21 (laser beam 21) area θ ₁ (polarization conversion part 15) in-plane azimuth angle θ ₂ (wavefront aberration correction part 16) In-plane azimuth

Claims (8)

A prism having polarization separating means;
In a polarization beam splitter provided with a light introduction surface facing the polarization separation means for making incident light from a light source enter the polarization separation means,
A predetermined region that includes the center of the light introduction surface and does not include a peripheral portion is provided with a one-dimensional concavo-convex array having a period equal to or less than the wavelength of the incident light, and generates a polarization component different from the polarization of the incident light to generate a polarization state. A polarization conversion unit for converting
A predetermined region in contact with the outer periphery of the polarization conversion unit and including a peripheral portion of the light introduction surface is provided with a one-dimensional uneven arrangement having a period equal to or less than the wavelength of the incident light, and matches a phase shift with the polarization conversion unit. A wavefront aberration correction unit is formed,
When the incident light is perpendicularly incident on the light introduction surface, the polarization converter includes an incident surface formed by the incident light and reflected light of the incident light from the polarization separation unit, and the light introduction surface. Formed with a predetermined in-plane azimuth angle θ _{1 with} respect to the intersection line,
The wavefront aberration correction unit is formed to be inclined by an in-plane azimuth angle θ ₂ different from the in-plane azimuth angle θ ₁ with respect to the intersection line between the incident surface and the light introduction surface,
The in-plane azimuth angle θ ₂ of the wavefront aberration correction unit is
−15 ° <θ ₂ <15 °
Or
75 ° <θ ₂ <105 °
A polarizing beam splitter characterized by the above. The in-plane azimuth angle θ ₁ of the polarization conversion unit is
35 ° <θ ₁ <55 °
The polarizing beam splitter according to claim 1, wherein: The ratio f ₁ (= d ₁ / p ₁ ) between the width (d ₁ ) and the period (p ₁ ) of the convex part of the one-dimensional uneven arrangement of the polarization converter is:
0.4 <f ₁ <0.6
And
The ratio f ₂ (= d ₂ / p ₂ ) between the width (d ₂ ) and the period (p ₂ ) of the convex portion of the one-dimensional uneven arrangement of the wavefront aberration correction unit is:
0.3 <f ₂ <0.7
The polarizing beam splitter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein   The polarization conversion unit includes a first region including the center of the light introduction surface and a second region surrounding the first region, and the one-dimensional uneven arrangement in the first region. 4. The polarization beam splitter according to claim 1, wherein the one-dimensional uneven arrangement in the second region has a different structure. 5. The polarizing beam splitter according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A light source that makes light incident on the surface on which the polarization conversion unit of the polarization beam splitter is formed;
An optical system for projecting one of the light from the light source separated by the polarization separating means onto an optical disc, and receiving the reflected light from the optical disc of the projected light;
A light receiving portion for receiving reflected light from the optical disc received by the optical system;
An optical pickup comprising: a light amount monitor unit that receives the other of the light from the light source separated by the polarization separation unit.   5% or more and 20% or less of the amount of incident light of linearly polarized light incident on the surface on which the polarization conversion unit is formed from the light source is emitted as linearly polarized light having a polarization direction perpendicular to the linearly polarized light. The optical pickup according to claim 5, wherein an area of the polarization conversion unit and a phase difference in the polarization conversion unit are set.   6. The area of the polarization conversion unit is an area that is not less than 1/4 and not more than 1/3 of a beam area of incident light incident on a surface on which the polarization conversion unit is formed from the light source. 6. The optical pickup according to 6. A phase plate as an optical element that converts the polarization state of the central portion of the light beam of incident light from the light source and does not substantially change the polarization state of the peripheral portion,
A predetermined region that includes the center of the light introduction surface on which the incident light is incident and that does not include a peripheral portion includes a one-dimensional uneven arrangement having a period equal to or less than the wavelength of the incident light, and a polarization component that is different from the polarization of the incident light A polarization conversion unit that converts the polarization state by generating
A predetermined region in contact with the outer periphery of the polarization conversion unit and including a peripheral portion of the light introduction surface is provided with a one-dimensional uneven arrangement having a period equal to or less than the wavelength of the incident light, and matches a phase shift with the polarization conversion unit. A wavefront aberration correction unit is formed,
The phase plate, wherein a period direction of the polarization conversion unit and a period direction of the wavefront aberration correction unit are different.

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