Abstract: An optical information recording medium includes a recording film, which contains germanium, bismuth, and at least 50 at % tellurium, and has a first recording film component formed in the planar direction and having a bismuth content of at least 15 at %, a second recording film component formed in the planar direction on the side to be irradiated with a light beam and having a bismuth content that is at least 10 at % lower than that of the first recording film component, and an intermediate recording film component provided between the first and second recording film component to moderate the change in the bismuth content in the film thickness direction between the first and second recording film component, and having a bismuth content greater than the bismuth content of the second recording film component and less than the bismuth content of the first recording film component.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium includes a recording film, which contains germanium, bismuth, and at least 50 at % tellurium, and has a first recording film component formed in the planar direction and having a bismuth content of at least 15 at %, a second recording film component formed in the planar direction on the side to be irradiated with a light beam and having a bismuth content that is at least 10 at % lower than that of the first recording film component, and an intermediate recording film component provided between the first and second recording film component to moderate the change in the bismuth content in the film thickness direction between the first and second recording film component, and having a bismuth content greater than the bismuth content of the second recording film component and less than the bismuth content of the first recording film component.

Abstract: In an optical information recording medium of the present invention, at least one information layer provided on a transparent substrate includes a protective layer and a write-once recording layer that are disposed in this order from the transparent substrate side. The recording layer contains at least one selected from Cr—O, Zn—O, Ga—O, In—O, Sn—O, Sb—O, Bi—O, and Te—O. The protective layer contains at least one selected from Cr—O, Zn—O, Ga—O, In—O, Sn—O, Sb—O, Bi—O, and Te—O. When the total amount of all the atoms other than oxygen atoms contained in the protective layer is taken as 100 atom %, the total amount of atoms of Cr, Zn, Ga, In, Sn, Sb, Bi, and Te in the protective layer is at least 70 atom %.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium, recording/reproducing method thereof, and recording/reproducing apparatus with superior signal quality for high-density recording that has high storage reliability is provided. The optical information recording medium has at least one information layer having a recording layer and a dielectric layer in order on a transparent substrate. The dielectric layer is comprised of greater than or equal to 50 molecule percent and less than or equal to 98 molecule percent of Zn—O, and greater than or equal to 2 molecule percent to less than or equal to 50 molecule percent of one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of Y—O, Ce—O, Nb—O, Ta—O, Cr—O and Mo—O.

Abstract: An optical information storage medium includes: a substrate; a cover layer; and a first information layer interposed between the substrate and the cover layer, recording of information in the first information layer and reading of information recorded in the first information layer being realized by irradiation with a light beam incoming from the cover layer side, wherein the first information layer includes a recording film and a protection film interposed between the recording film and the cover layer, and a distance between the cover layer and the recording film is not less than 0.5 nm and not more than 12 nm.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium that can simultaneously achieve both a high transmittance and high signal quality of an information layer, improve the reliability of long-term conservation, and reduce the manufacturing cost, and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. In an optical information recording medium including at least one information layer on a substrate, at least one of the information layers has a recording layer and a dielectric layer, the recording layer contains Te, O, and M (M is one or a plurality of elements selected from Au, Pd, and Pt) as major components, the dielectric layer has a thermal conductivity of 0.01 W/K·cm or more, and the dielectric layer has an extinction coefficient of 0 through 1.0 inclusive.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium, recording/reproducing method thereof, and recording/reproducing apparatus with superior signal quality for high-density recording that has high storage reliability is provided. The optical information recording medium of the present invention has at least one information layer having a recording layer and a dielectric layer in order on a transparent substrate. The dielectric layer is comprised of greater than or equal to 50 molecule percent and less than or equal to 98 molecule percent of Zn—O, and greater than or equal to 2 molecule percent to less than or equal to 50 molecule percent of one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of Y—O, Ce—O, Nb—O, Ta—O, Cr—O and Mo—O.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium that can simultaneously achieve both a high transmittance and high signal quality of an information layer, improve the reliability of long-term conservation, and reduce the manufacturing cost, and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. To achieve this, according to the present invention, in an optical information recording medium comprising at least one information layer on a substrate, at least one of the information layers has a recording layer and a dielectric layer, the recording layer contains Te, O, and M (M is one or a plurality of elements selected from Au, Pd, and Pt) as major components, the dielectric layer has a thermal conductivity of 0.01 W/K·cm or more, and the dielectric layer has an extinction coefficient of 0 through 1.0 inclusive.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium includes one or more information layers including a recording layer for recording/reproducing an information signal by irradiation with a laser light, and a seperating layer or a protective substate on which a first information layer of the information layer on the irradiation face side is formed. The seperating layer or the protective substrate having a guide groove spirally or concentrically formed on the surface, and the respective inclined planes on the inner perimeter side and the outer perimeter side of the guide groove having inclined angles ? and ? with respect to the bottom face of the guide groove. The guide groove has one or more dissymmetric regions in the radius direction where the inclined angles ? and ? are different. The information layer has roughly agreeing thicknesses in the inclined face portion on the inner and outer perimeter sides in the dissymmetric region.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium includes the first to the n-th information layers (where n is an integer not less than 3) arranged in this order from a laser beam incident side. Each information layer includes a recording layer containing Te, O and M, where M denotes at least one element selected from the group consisting of Al, Si, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, In, Sn, Sb, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Au and Bi. Concentrations of oxygen atoms contained in the first to the n-th recording layers, namely C(1) to C(n?1), satisfy the following relationships: C(1)?C(2)? . . . ?C(n?2)?C(n?1), and C(1)?C(n?1). When two information layers are included, the oxygen atom concentration of the first information layer is made larger than that of the second information layer.

Abstract: A recording medium has at least a recording layer on a transparent substrate. The recording layer has at least a first phase-changeable film and a second phase-changeable film in that order, starting on the side closest to the transparent substrate. The first phase-changeable film and the second phase-changeable film each contains at least 10 atom % and no more than 50 atom % germanium and at least 45 atom % and no more than 60 atom % tellurium. Also at least one of the phase-changeable films contains bismuth.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical information recording medium of excellent signal quality in high density recording onto a semitransparent information layer, its manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus. The optical information recording medium of the present invention includes at least a semitransparent information layer disposed between a circular transparent substrate and a protective substrate, in which the information layer has spiral grooves for guiding a light beam, and also includes a recording film capable of recording/reproducing information thereon/therefrom by changing at least in two states detectable optically by irradiation of the light beam from the transparent substrate side, and the difference in film thickness of slope portions of the inner circumferential side and outer circumferential side of the groove is within ±10% in the entire region for recording/reproducing information.

Abstract: In an optical information recording medium of the present invention, at least one information layer provided on a transparent substrate includes a protective layer and a write-once recording layer that are disposed in this order from the transparent substrate side. The recording layer contains at least one selected from Cr—O, Zn—O, Ga—O, In—O, Sn—O, Sb—O, Bi—O, and Te—O. The protective layer contains at least one selected from Cr—O, Zn—O, Ga—O, In—O, Sn—O, Sb—O, Bi—O, and Te—O. When the total amount of all the atoms other than oxygen atoms contained in the protective layer is taken as 100 atom %, the total amount of atoms of Cr, Zn, Ga, In, Sn, Sb, Bi, and Te in the protective layer is at least 70 atom %.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium 10 includes a first substrate 11, a second substrate 12 disposed in parallel with the first substrate 11, and an information layer 20 disposed between the first substrate 11 and the second substrate 12, and the information layer 20 includes a recording layer 23 and inorganic layers (lower side interface layer 22 and upper side interface layer 24) adjacent to the recording layer 23. The recording layer 23 is changed between at least two different states, which are discernable optically, by irradiation with a laser beam 14 incident from the first substrate 11 side. The inorganic layer contains a nitride of SixGe1-x (where 0.3?x?0.9) as a main component. The present invention provides an optical information recording medium capable of recording/reproducing information with satisfactory reliability even in recording/reproducing with a light beam having a short wavelength or in recording/reproducing with respect to a plurality of information layers.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium having a plurality of information layers, with which stable recording and reproduction can be achieved in all information layers, and good recording sensitivity can be maintained in the innermost layer when viewed from the laser incidence side, as well as a method for manufacturing such medium are provided. To this end, the present invention is an optical information recording medium comprising a first information layer, an intermediate layer, and a second information layer, in that order, on a substrate, wherein both of the information layers have a recording layer composed of a material containing Te, O, and M (where M is one or more elements selected from among Al, Si, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, In, Sn, Sb, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Au, and Bi), and the second information layer contains the material M in a higher compositional ratio than does the first information layer.

Abstract: The present invention provides a recording medium that has high reliability and affords good recording and reproduction characteristics over a wide linear velocity range and high density, as well as a method for manufacturing the recording medium. To this end, an optical information recording medium comprises at least a recording layer that changes its state to be different and optically detectable by irradiating with a light beam, an optical absorption layer composed of a material containing at least 50 at % and no more than 95 at % silicon, and a reflective layer composed of a material containing at least 95 at % silver and no more than 5 at % indium, with these layers provided in that order on a transparent substrate.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium of the present invention includes a transparent substrate and a multi-layered film provided on the transparent substrate. The multi-layered film includes at least a recording layer that is changed between two or more different states capable of being detected by irradiation with a light beam, and a light absorbing layer in this order from a side close to the transparent substrate. The recording layer contains a material represented by a formula: Gex(BiySb1?y)2Tex+3 (where x?5 and 0<y?1) as a main component. Such a multi-layered film including a recording layer also is applicable to a multi-layered recording medium including a first information layer to an N-th information layer (N is an integer of 2 or more) disposed on a transparent substrate in this order from a side close to the transparent substrate. In this case, at least one of the first information layer to the N-th information layer has the same configuration as that of the multi-layered film.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium is provided which has favorable signal quality even in high density recording using a translucent information layer. The optical information recording medium includes one or more information layers including a recording layer for recording/reproducing an information signal by irradiation with a laser light, and a separating layer or a protective substrate on which a first information layer of the information layer on the irradiation face side is formed, the separating layer or the protective substrate having a guide groove spirally or concentrically formed on the surface, and the respective inclined planes on the inner perimeter side and the outer perimeter side of the guide groove having inclined angles ? and ? with respect to the bottom face of the guide groove. The guide groove has one or more dissymmetric regions in the radius direction where the inclined angles ? and ? are different.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium includes the first to the n-th information layers (where n is an integer not less than 3) arranged in this order from a laser beam incident side. Each information layer includes a recording layer containing Te, O and M, where M denotes at least one element selected from the group consisting of Al, Si, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, In, Sn, Sb, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Au and Bi. Concentrations of oxygen atoms contained in the first to the n-th recording layers, namely C(1) to C(n?1), satisfy the following relationships: C(1)?C(2)? . . . ?C(n?2)?C(n?1), and C(1)?C(n?1). When two information layers are included, the oxygen atom concentration of the first information layer is made larger than that of the second information layer.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium of the present invention includes at least one information layer. The information layer includes a first protective film, a first interface film, a recording film having the optical characteristics that are changed reversibly by laser beam irradiation, a second interface film, a second protective film, and a reflective film, present in the indicated order from the laser beam incident side. The first interface film includes an oxide of at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, and Si. The second interface film includes carbon or a carbide of at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, and Si.