Owner MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.

Inventors SANO, Kousei; KOMMA, Yoshiaki; WADA, Hidenori; YASUDA, Akihiro

Pub. Number AU-A-2003235244

PCT Number PCT/JP03/04943

PCT Pub. Number WO2003/091764

Priority 2002-115828 18.04.02 JP; 2002-115829 18.04.02 JP

Filing date 18 April 2003

Wipo publication date 10 November 2003

G02B 005/18 Optical elements other than lenses - Diffracting gratings

G02B 005/32 Optical elements other than lenses - Holograms used as optical elements

G02F 001/13 Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating - based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells

G11B 007/09 Recording or reproducing by optical means, e.g. recording using a thermal beam of optical radiation, reproducing using an optical beam at lower power - with provision for moving the light beam or focus plane for the purpose of maintaining alignment of the light beam relative to the record carrier during transducing operation, e.g. to compensate for surface irregularities of the latter or for track following

G11B 007/135 Recording or reproducing by optical means, e.g. recording using a thermal beam of optical radiation, reproducing using an optical beam at lower power - Means for guiding the beam from source to record carrier or from record carrier to detector