The present invention provides a scanning device with the following features:the system is capable of writing data to record carriers of a first format because it is corrected for chromatic aberration resulting from fast wavelength variations during write operation; it has a diffractive element with a generally sawtooth-like pattern, such that it may for example be manufactured in a single-step replication process; the system has high efficiency for scanning first optical record carriers (e.g. DVDs) and acceptable efficiency for scanning second optical record carriers (e.g. CDs); and the lens provides limited spherochromatism and the system is thus able to cope with wavelength variations.
