| Single |
1 . 1 cm | Focus |
Point |
Info Layer
C D
D V D
Laser
B e a m
Objective
Lens
D V D
Laser
Light
2 N D | 1 S T | |
Order | ||
Order | ||
| Main | |
| Laser | |
| B e a m | |
2 N D | 1 S T | |
Order | Order |
To
Objective
Lens
Defraction
Grading
CD FOCUS CORRECTED
Three Laser Beams from One Laser
Although there is one laser, there are three spots of light on the disc’s information layer. The three spots are made by diffraction grading inside the laser assembly.
A diffraction grading is made of a glass sheet with lines etched on it form- ing channels. The channels are represented by the spaces between the dotted lines in the diagram. As the main laser beam passes through a channel, secondary light beams are produced. The first order beams are the strongest and these are the two additional (side) spots that pass through the objective lens onto the disc. These side spots are used for CD track- ing.
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