Abstract: An optical recording medium of a data rewritable type includes: a substrate; a first transparent dielectric layer formed on the substrate, having a refractive index substantially equal to the refractive index of said substrate; a second transparent dielectric layer formed on the first dielectric layer, having a refractive index greater than that of said first dielectric layer and having its thickness being not greater than 80 nm; and further includes an optical recording layer formed on the second dielectric layer, so that said first and second dielectric layers and optical recording layer are laminated in this order on said substrate, where the total film thickness of the first and second dielectric layers is set to be not smaller than 90 nm.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a magneto-optical recording medium, in which are provided at least a reading layer and a writing layer on a substrate. A track guide groove is formed in the medium so as to include in-groove portions and on-land portions. Pits are formed on a portion along the track longitudinally adjacent where an in-groove portion and where no guide groove exists. Pits are also formed in an on-land portion between the in-groove portions of the track guide groove. Only a portion where a temperature has been raised by optical beam irradiation is read, while a domain of a writing layer is copied on the writing layer, whereby a writing/reading operation can be effected with narrower track pitches.

Abstract: A magneto-optical recording medium comprises a base film having a certain crystal plane oriented in parallel to a substrate and a recording film formed on the base film. The recording film is composed of plural pairs of Mn alloy group magnetic thin film layer having a C-axis-oriented crystalline magnetic anisotropy and a nonmagnetic thin film layer having an interatomic spacing approximate to that of the base film, alternately laminated each other, so that the Mn alloy group magnetic film having a C-axis-oriented crystalline magnetic anisotropy is epitaxially grown on the substrate at a low temperature through the base film with high thermal stability and great magneto-optical effect.

Abstract: A magneto-optical recording and/or reading-out apparatus can record and read out information on and from a magneto-optical recording medium by the use of a laser beam. The apparatus includes a reflected beam detector, a comparator operatively coupled with the reflected beam detector, and a judgment unit operatively coupled with the comparator. The reflected beam detector detects the quantity of a laser beam reflected from the magneto-optical recording medium during recording. The comparator compares the quantity of the reflected laser beam with at least one reference value during the recording, thereby detecting an abnormality in the reflected laser beam. The judgment unit judges whether an area of the magneto-optical recording medium which has caused the abnormality is practically usable, in accordance with an output from the comparator and data to be recorded on this area.

Abstract: A magneto-optical disc according to the present invention has separate regions located between mutually adjacent recording tracks. In the separate regions, magneto-optical signals are impossible to record or smaller than the recording tracks. Therefore, it is possible to maintain a low erasing power that is constant even when conditions such as off-tracking, defocusing and changes of operating temperature occur. The present invention provides a magneto-optical disc, further, which in a light modulating system restricts the recording domain so as to improve the number of times the disc can be rewritten, providing a magneto-optical disk that is highly compatible with different drives. Further, the magneto-optical disk according to the present invention is provided such that a residual signal is not caused if recording power during overwriting is lower than the previous recording power in a magnetic modulating system, further improving compatibility.

Abstract: A magneto-optical recording medium comprising a layer of amorphous rare-earth-transition-metal alloy having a uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, the alloy containing germanium as additive, and the recording medium having high crystallization temperature, enough stability and good reading S/N ratio.