An integrated picku¥for CDROM drives that incorporates optics, a holographic optical element (HOE), and an optical integrated circuit (OPIC) will be commercially available this year from Shar¥Corp. (Nara, Japan). In a paper presented at the IEEE/LEOS Integrated Optoelectronics Conference in Lake Tahoe, NV, last month, N. Miyauchi described how a single HOE replaces the beamsplitter, grating, and concave lens of a conventional pickup, while the OPIC combines photodetector, laser diode, and signal circuitry onto a single chip. Together, the HOE and OPIC allow a reduction in totalparts count for the picku¥device from the conventional seven to three, promising easier assembly and higher reliability.
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