A displacement information detector in which a coherent luminous flux from a
light
source is applied to a diffraction grating scale adapted to be relatively moved
to generate two diffracted rays of light having different orders, and the two diffracted
rays of light are diffracted and deflected in a diffraction grating in which circular
or toric curves are arranged in lattice at unequal pitches to be irradiated to
the diffraction grating scale again to be rediffracted, and the diffracted rays
of light are combined with each other to be made interfere each other, and the
resultant interference light is introduced into a light receiving element to thereby
detect a periodic signal due to the relative movement of the diffraction grating scale.