Focus-error detection using prism-enhanced spot size monitoring

Abstract From the Canadian patent

An apparatus and method is described for detecting focus errors in an optical head by positioning a prism in the optical path of a return light beam reflected from an optical recording medium. The prism reduces the beam in one dimension by a factor of M and concurrently increases the divergence/convergence angle associated with a focus-error of the beam by a factor of M in said dimension thereby, desirably enhancing the focus error signal by a factor of M2. A focus error is detected by a segmented photodetector having inner and outer photosensitive regions. The photodetector generates an electrical signal indicative of the focus error from the difference in light intensities at the inner …