ACTUATOR AND OPTICAL PICKUP EMPLOYING THE SAME

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an actuator and an optical pickup employing the same. SOLUTION: The actuator and the optical pickup employing the same are constituted so that an objective lens mounted on a lens holder can be driven in a focusing direction, tracking direction, and tilting direction and a photodetector for tilting in order to receive part of the light used for recording and/or reproducing of a recording medium by the relative tilting of the objective lens and the recording medium is provided on the lens holder so as to be able to detect the relative tilting of the objective lens and the recording medium. The relative tilting between the optical disk and the objective lens, i.e., the tilting of the optical disk and the tilting of the objective lens can both be detected and therefore the actuator is suitable for a high-density and/or high double speed optical recording and/or reproducing device. Also, the relative tilting between the optical disk and the objective lens is detected by using recording and/or reproducing light and therefore there is no need for a separate light source for detecting the tilting, so that the cost can be reduced. COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO