Abstract: In an information recording medium, a Bi—Ge—Te material is adopted as a phase-change recording layer material. A C—Ta—O material is used for at least any one of first and second boundary layers which are in contact with a recording layer.

Abstract: A super resolution information storage medium includes: a substrate; a first super resolution layer which is formed over the substrate; a second super resolution layer which is formed over the first super resolution layer; and an insertion layer which is disposed between the first and second super resolution layers.

Abstract: An optical recording medium includes a substrate 11 with a concave and convex shape for dividing a track area formed on its surface, an optical recording layer 12 having a compound consisting of at least tin (Sn), nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) formed on the surface in which the concave and convex shape is formed and a light transmission layer 13 formed on this optical recording layer 12. Then, a compound composition SnxNyOz of tin (Sn) nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) comprising the optical recording layer 12 is selected so as to satisfy 30<x<70 (atomic %), 1<y<20 (atomic %) and 20<z<60 (atomic %). According to this arrangement, the optical recording medium can improve jitter caused when Sn is used as a recording material.

Abstract: A silver-based alloy thin film is provided for the highly reflective or the semi-reflective layer of optical discs. Alloy additions to silver include magnesium, gold, rhodium, ruthenium, osmium, platinum, palladium, copper, silicon, cadmium, tin, lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, indium, chromium, antimony, gallium, boron, molybdenum, zirconium, beryllium, titanium, aluminum, germanium and zinc. These alloys have moderate to high reflectivity and reasonable corrosion resistance in ambient environments.

Abstract: To provide an optical recording medium and the like that is adapted to higher density and higher speed recording of 8 times or more than that of DVD (about 28 m/sec or more) and that exhibits superior repeating and reservation properties. An optical recording medium is provided that comprises a substrate, and a recording layer, wherein at least one of recording, reproducing, erasing, and rewriting of information is carried out by means of reversible phase changes at marks on the recording layer, the reversible phase changes at marks are induced between crystalline and amorphous states by laser irradiation, the length of the respective marks is 0.4 ?m or less in the traveling direction of the laser irradiation, and the recording layer has a composition expressed by the formula: In?Sb?, wherein ? and ? are atomic percent of the respective elements; 0.73??/(?+?)?0.

Abstract: The main object of the present invention is to provide a recording medium which makes high densification of information possible, particularly a write-once-read-many optical recording medium having good recording signal characteristics to a wide range of recording powers. The present invention is one to accomplish the above object by providing a recording medium having a recording layer, whereby recording is carried out by heating the recording layer, characterized in that the recording layer contains a substance A which decomposes at a temperature which the recording layer reaches when heated for recording, and a substance B which does not undergo a chemical reaction or phase change at a temperature which the recording layer reaches when heated for recording.

Abstract: A silver-based alloy thin film is provided for the highly reflective or semi-reflective coating layer of optical discs. Elements that can be added to silver to produce useful silver alloys include zinc, aluminum, copper, manganese, germanium, yttrium, bismuth, scandium, and cobalt. These alloys have moderate to high reflectivity and reasonable corrosion resistance in the ambient environment.

Abstract: This invention discloses a novel rewritable phase-change recording medium for optical data storage, which is based on the GaSbTe ternary alloy system. The designed compositions reside on the Sb7Te3—GaSb and Sb2Te3—GaSb pseudo-binary tielines, and the claimed region can be expressed by the formula (SbxTe100-x)1-z(GaySb100-y)z, 35?x?80, 40?y?50, 0.05?z?0.9. The crystallized phase of the GaSbTe films is a single phase after laser annealing, and the crystal structure is hexagonal with continuous variation in lattice constants. The lattice parameters, a is from 4.255 ? to 4.313 ? and c is from 11.200 ? to 11.657 ?, corresponding to the c/a ratio 2.60 to 2.73. The crystallization kinetics shows increased crystallization temperature (181 to 327° C.) and activation energy (2.8 to 6.5 eV) with increasing GaSb content.

Abstract: An information storage medium reduces low frequency noise, and an apparatus records and/or reproduces information thereon. The information storage medium includes a substrate; a recording layer formed on the substrate and including at least two materials in which the materials chemically react with each other due to an incident beam thereon having a write power and form a recording mark; and a super resolution reproduction layer formed on and/or under the recording layer and having a property in which optical characteristics of a partial area of a spot due to the incident beam are changed. The apparatus to record and/or reproduce information on the information storage medium includes a pickup unit having a light source, an objective lens to form a beam spot on the information storage medium, and a photodetector; a signal processor; and a controller.

Abstract: A phase-change optical recording medium has a first information layer including a phase-change optical recording film arranged in a position close to the light incident side, a second information layer including another phase-change optical recording film arranged in a position remote from the light incident side and an interlayer separating film arranged between the first information layer and the second information layer, in which at least one of the first information layer and the second information layer includes a noise reduction film in contact with the interlayer separating film. The noise reduction film is formed of SiOx (1?x?2) or SiOC.

Abstract: An optical recording medium comprising: a substrate 11; and a recording layer 12, formed on substrate 11; and characterized in that recording layer 12 contains palladium oxide as the main component and contains oxygen at an amount of 19 atom % to 61 atom %.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium, especially a CD-RW medium, that can undergo direct overwriting at high speed is disclosed. The optical information recording medium includes a transparent substrate, at least a recording layer and a reflective layer on or above the substrate and is capable of performing at least one of recording, erasing and rewriting information by irradiating and scanning with focused light to thereby form and/or erase recording marks on the recording layer. The recording layer contains an alloy and/or an intermetallic compound mainly containing Ga, Ge, Sb, and Te in a compositional ratio represented by the following formula: GaxGey(SbzTe1-z)1-x-y wherein x, y, and z each represent an atomic ratio of a positive real number less than 1 and satisfy the following conditions: 0.02?x?0.06, 0.01?y?0.06, 0.80?z?0.86, x?y, and x+y?0.1.

Abstract: A phase-change optical recording medium includes a phase-change optical recording film that permits reversible phase change between a crystalline phase and an amorphous phase upon irradiation with light, and an interface film formed of hafnium oxide, or a mixture of hafnium oxide and at least one oxide selected from the group consisting of cerium oxide, titanium oxide and zirconium oxide, and formed in contact with at least one surface of the phase-change optical recording film.

Abstract: A silver-based alloy thin film is provided for the highly reflective or semi-reflective coating layer of optical discs. Elements that can be added to silver to produce useful silver alloys include zinc, aluminum, copper, manganese, germanium, yttrium, bismuth, scandium, and cobalt. These alloys have moderate to high reflectivity and reasonable corrosion resistance in the ambient environment.

Abstract: A silver-based alloy thin film is provided for the highly reflective or the semi-reflective layer of optical discs. Alloy additions to silver include magnesium, gold, rhodium, ruthenium, osmium, platinum, palladium, copper, silicon, cadmium, tin, lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, indium, chromium, antimony, gallium, boron, molybdenum, zirconium, beryllium, titanium, aluminum, germanium and zinc. These alloys have moderate to high reflectivity and reasonable corrosion resistance in ambient environments.

Abstract: A silver-based alloy thin film is provided for the highly reflective or the semi-reflective layer of optical discs. Alloy additions to silver include gold, rhodium, ruthenium, osmium, platinum, palladium, copper, silicon, cadmium, tin, lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, indium, chromium, antimony, gallium, boron, molybdenum, zirconium, beryllium, titanium, aluminum, germanium and zinc. These alloys have moderate to high reflectivity and reasonable corrosion resistance in ambient environments.

Abstract: A phase-change optical recording medium has a phase-change recording film to which recording and erasure can be reversibly performed by irradiation with light, and at least one dielectric film formed of a SiOC film containing Si, O and C, and having a carbon concentration within a range of between 0.1 and 30 atomic %.

Abstract: A silver-based alloy thin film is provided for the highly reflective or semi-reflective layer of optical discs. Alloy additions to silver include gold, rhodium, ruthenium, osmium, platinum, palladium, copper, silicon, cadmium, tin, lithium, nickel, cobalt, indium, chromium, antimony, gallium, boron, molybdenum, zirconium, beryllium, titanium, magnesium, and zinc. These alloys have moderate to high reflective and reasonable corrosion resistance in the ambient environment.

Abstract: A phase-change optical recording medium has a phase-change recording film to which recording and erasure can be reversibly performed by irradiation with light, and at least one dielectric film formed of a SiOC film containing Si, O and C, and having a carbon concentration within a range of between 0.1 and 30 atomic %.

Abstract: In an information recording medium of the present invention, a recording layer and first and second dielectric layers are formed on a surface of a substrate. In the recording layer, at least one of recording and reproduction is caused by irradiation of light or application of electric energy. The dielectric layers are oxide-based material layers or oxide-nitride-based material layers containing an oxide of at least one element selected from the group GM consisting of Sn, Ga and Zn, and at least one of an oxide and a nitride of at least one element selected from the group GL consisting of Al, Si and B, or oxide-fluoride-based material layers containing a fluoride of at least one element selected from La and Ce, and one example of at least one of element selected from the group GM.

Abstract: An optical recording medium configured with a light reflection layer; a first protection layer; a recording layer containing a phase-change material which changes between crystalline and amorphous phases by a light irradiation; a second protection layer; and one of a cover layer and a protective coating layer disposed on a substrate in this order; and in which the light reflection layer is formed of one of an Al alloy and an Ag alloy; the first protection layer has a ZnS—SiO2 mixture layer which contains a mixture of ZnS and SiO2, and a intermediate layer having higher thermal conductivity than the ZnS—SiO2 mixture layer; the intermediate layer is formed on the side of the light reflection layer; the recording layer comprises Ge, Sb, and Te as main elements; and the second protection layer comprises a mixture of ZnS and SiO2.

Abstract: Disclosed is a super resolution optical disc. The super resolution optical disc comprises at least two mask layers. In one embodiment, the super resolution optical mask comprises a plurality of mask layers and impact absorption layers between the mask layers, and may further comprise diffusing prevention layers between the mask layer and the impact absorption layer. In another embodiment, the super resolution optical mask comprises a plurality of recording layers and dielectric layers separating the recording layers, each of the recording layers including two mask layers and an impact absorption layer between the mask layers or including two mask layers, an impact absorption layer between the mask layers, and diffusion preventing layers between the mask layer and the impact absorption layer. Accordingly, recording marks have an enhanced shape at an outer periphery of the marks, thereby enhancing the quality of the reproduction signal and enabling high-density multi-level recording.

Abstract: A phase-change optical recording medium has a recording film that brings about reversible phase-change between a crystalline phase and an amorphous phase upon irradiation with light and an interface film formed in contact with at least one surface of the recording film and comprising hafnium (Hf), silicon (Si), oxygen (O) and carbon (C).

Abstract: An optical information medium (20) for recording, such as DVR-blue, and a method for manufacturing such a medium (20) is provided. Reading from and recording onto the medium (20) is performed by means of a focused radiation beam (10) having a radiation wavelength ? and a numerical aperture NA. Said medium has a substrate (1), and a stack (2) of layers provided thereon. The stack (2) comprises at least a first recording stack (3) and k radiation beam transmissive layers (4, 5). Each transmissive layer (4, 5) has a refractive index ni and an average thickness di ?m and 1?i?k and k?2. The thickness dk of layer k (5) is determined by a simple formula which depends on the parameters ni for i=1 . . . k and di for i=1 . . . k?1. Such a medium (20) has zero or substantially zero spherical aberration at the focal point, being at the recording layer of the first recording stack (3), of said radiation beam (10).

Abstract: A high density read only optical disc is provided. The high density read only optical disc includes a substrate having pits formed thereon; a crystalline reading assist layer; a first dielectric layer; and a mask layer composed of a metal oxide. The high density read only optical disc does not require a laser with a short wavelength or a large numerical aperture of an objective lens.

Abstract: A description is given of a multi-stack optical data storage medium (20) for rewritable recording using a focused radiation beam (30) entering through an entrance face (16) of the medium (20) during recording. The medium (20) has a substrate (1). Deposited on a side thereof is a first recording stack (2) with a phase-change type recording layer (6). The first recording stack (2) is present at a position most remote from the entrance face (16). At least one further recording stack (3), with a phase-change type recording layer (12) is present closer to the entrance face (16) than the first recording stack (2). A metal reflective layer of Cu, transparent for the radiation beam (30), is present in the further recording stack (3) and has a thickness between 2 and 10 nm. A transparent spacer layer (9) is present between the recording stacks (2, 3).

Abstract: An optical information recording medium on which information can be recorded and reproduced by using a laser beam is provided. The medium includes a substrate with a guide groove and a multilayered metal film including at least a first metal layer, a barrier layer and a second metal layer that are deposited on the substrate in this order, or a single layer metal film including at least a metal layer and a recording layer are deposited on the substrate in this order. The second metal layer and the metal layer of the single layer metal film are a material containing Al and a metal element (an additive) as main components.

Abstract: A read-only recording medium for achieving a carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR) using a super-resolution near-field structure (Super-RENS) on which information has been prerecorded includes a substrate having the information recorded on its surface, a reflective layer formed from a phase change material on the substrate, a first dielectric layer formed on the reflective layer, and a mask layer formed from metal oxide or nanoparticles on the first dielectric layer.

Abstract: A phase-change optical recording medium has a phase-change recording film to which recording and erasure can be reversibly performed by irradiation with light, and at least one dielectric film formed of a SiOC film containing Si, O and C, and having a carbon concentration within a range of between 0.1 and 30 atomic %.

Abstract: A data storage medium includes a haze-prevention layer between a heat-resistant thermoplastic substrate and a reflective metal layer. The haze-prevention layer includes a metal having a tensile modulus of at least about 15×106 pounds per square inch. The data storage medium resists hazing of the reflective layer at elevated temperatures.

Abstract: A reflective article useful, for example, in automotive headlights includes a haze-prevention layer between a heat-resistant thermoplastic substrate and a reflective metal layer. The haze-prevention layer includes a metal having a tensile modulus of at least about 15×106 pounds per square inch. The article resists hazing of the reflective layer at elevated temperatures.

Abstract: A phase-change recording material on which high velocity recording/erasing is possible, which provides excellent recording signal characteristics, which provides a high storage stability of the recording signals, with which the change in the reflectivity of the recorded signals is small even after a long term storage, and which provides excellent recording signal characteristics even if overwriting is carried out again, and an information recording medium employing the above material, are provided. It is characterized by containing as the main component a composition represented by Gex(InwSn1-w)yTezSb1-x-y-z (wherein the Sb content is higher than any one of the Ge content, the In content, the Sn content and the Te content, and x, y, z and w representing atomicity ratios satisfy (i) 0?x?0.3, (ii) 0.07?y-z, (iii) wxy-z?0.1, (iv) 0<z, (v) (1?w)xy?0.35 and (vi) 0.35?1-x-y-z).

Abstract: The present invention provides a hard coat agent composition that is useful for forming a hard coat layer with excellent anti-staining properties and lubricity, as well as superior scratch resistance and abrasion resistance, on the surfaces of various articles. The present invention also provides an optical information medium using the above hard coat agent composition. A hard coat agent composition comprising a fluorine-containing block copolymer (A1), a fluorine-containing polyether compound (A2) comprising an active energy ray-reactive group, and an active energy ray-curable compound (B). An optical information medium comprising a film element composed of one or more layers including at least a recording layer (4) or a reflective layer, on a supporting substrate (20), wherein at least one of the supporting substrate (20)-side surface and the film element-side surface is formed of a hard coat layer (8) comprising a cured product of the hard coat agent composition.

Abstract: A phase-change recording material on which high speed recording/erasing is possible, which has excellent recording characteristics, which has a high storage stability of recording signals and which is excellent in the repeated recording durability, and an information recording medium using the above material are provided. A phase-change recording material characterized by containing as the main component a composition represented by {(Sb1?xGex)1?yIny}1?z?wMzTew wherein x, y, z and w are numbers satisfying 0.001?x?0.3, 0?y?0.4, 0?z?0.2 and 0?w?0.1, and M is at least one element selected from lanthanoids, provided that z and w are not 0 at the same time.

Abstract: The present invention provides a hard coat agent composition that is useful for forming a hard coat layer with excellent anti-staining properties and lubricity, as well as superior scratch resistance and abrasion resistance, on the surfaces of various articles. The present invention also provides an optical information medium using the above hard coat agent composition. A hard coat agent composition comprising a fluorine-containing polyether compound (A) comprising an active energy ray-reactive group, and a curable compound (B) comprising two, or three or more active energy ray-polymerizable groups within each molecule. An optical information medium comprising a film element composed of one or more layers including at least a recording layer (4) or a reflective layer, on a supporting substrate (20), wherein at least one of the supporting substrate (20)-side surface and the film element-side surface is formed of a hard coat layer (8) comprising a cured product of the hard coat agent composition.

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: A write once recording medium comprising an inorganic material serving as a recording layer is disclosed. The inorganic material has a formula, A(1?y)My, wherein A is comprised of Si or Sn; M is comprised of Al, Ag, Au, Zn, Ti, Ni, Cu, Co, Ta, Fe, W, Cr, V, Ga, Pb, Mo, In or Te; and y is in the range of 0.02˜0.8.

Abstract: An optical disc having a transition linear velocity of 8-11 m/s when irradiating continuous light with 11±1 mW and a wavelength of 660±10 nm using a pickup head with a numerical aperture (NA) of 0.65, and satisfying the following condition: ?R=|Rb—Ra|?3% where Rb is a reflectance of an unrecorded area, and Ra is a reflectance of the top of an eye pattern after ten cycles of recording. In one recording mode therefor, the disc is rotated at a constant angular velocity so as to have a linear velocity of 3–4 m/s on an innermost track and a linear velocity of 8–9 m/s on an outermost track. In another mode, the disc is rotated at a constant angular velocity so as to have a linear velocity of 5–6 m/s on an innermost track and a linear velocity of 13–14 m/s on an outermost track.

Abstract: A multilayer information recording medium has both good reproducing performance and good recording and rewriting capabilities, as well as good repeated rewriting capabilities even after being archived for a long period of time. The information recording medium has at least a first recording layer and a second recording layer, which generate reversible phase changes between the crystalline phase and the amorphous phase. The first recording layer contains Ge, Te and Bi, while the second recording layer contains Sb and one or more elements M1 selected from a group including V, Mn, Ga, Ge, Se, Ag, In, Sn, Te, Pb, Bi and Au.

Abstract: A media storage device and method for fabricating said device is provided. The device comprises a data layer capable of storing and erasing data via application of an energy beam, such as a near field optical non diffraction limited beam or electron beam. A separate capping layer is deposited on the data layer. The separate capping layer is relatively transparent to the energy beam and may be formed from various materials, including but not limited to an epitaxial material, a conducting material, and a robust high melting point material, such as Molybdenum.

Abstract: A phase-change optical information recording medium in which information can be recorded, erased, and read includes a substrate and a recording layer overlying the substrate. The recording layer achieves a crystal phase and an amorphous phase. The absorptance Ac of the recording layer in the crystal phase against light having a wavelength of from 370 nm to 450 nm is lower than the absorptance Aa of the recording layer in the amorphous phase against the light. Information is recorded on the recording medium with a recording wavelength of from 370 nm to 450 nm at a recording pitch of 0.3 ?m to 0.52 ?m.

Abstract: A write-once optical information recording medium is provided that is capable of realizing a high transfer rate and a method of recording and reproducing information on and from the optical information recording medium. The optical information recording medium is constructed by stacking a reflective layer 12, a first dielectric layer 13, a recording layer 14, a write-protect layer 15, a second dielectric layer 16 and a transparent cover layer 17 on a polycarbonate substrate 11. The recording layer 14 is made of a phase-change material, and the cover layer 17 is made of UV curing resin. The recording layer 14 is irradiated with a laser beam with a wavelength of 500 nm or less to change from a crystalline phase to an amorphous phase. The write-protect layer 15 prevents the recording layer 14 from changing back to the crystalline phase from the amorphous phase, formed by the phase change.

Abstract: An optical recording medium includes a recording layer containing an alloy represented by a general formula: (TixM1x)yM2y, where element M1 is Si or Al, element M2 is an element selected from the group consisting of Si, Al and Fe and different from the element M1, x is equal to or larger than 0.3 and equal to or smaller than 0.8, and y is equal to or larger than 0.75 and equal to or smaller than 1. The thus constituted optical recording medium only places minimal load on the global environment.

Abstract: To obtain an optical information recording medium which is highly sensitive and excellent in durability against repeated recording and which is excellent in storage stability. An optical information recording medium is employed which comprises a substrate, a recording layer, a sulfur-containing protective layer, an interface layer in contact with the protective layer and a reflective layer in contact with the interface layer and containing Ag as the main component, wherein the interface layer contains Nb and/or Mo as the main component. By providing such an interface layer, the reaction between the reflective layer and the protective layer is effectively suppressed.

Abstract: An optical recording medium including a substrate and a light transmitting layer provided on the substrate so as to have a smaller thickness than that of the substrate, which is hardly warped and excellent in electrical characteristics and productivity, is provided. An optical recording medium includes: a substrate; and a light transmitting layer having a smaller thickness than that of the substrate. In this medium, a material of the substrate is an olefin maleimide copolymer.

Abstract: An optical recording medium includes a substrate and a recording layer in which data can be recorded by projecting a laser beam thereonto, the recording layer including a first recording film containing an element selected from the group consisting of Si, Ge, C, Sn, Au, Zn and Cu as a primary component and a second recording film containing Cu as a primary component. The thus constituted optical recording medium has an excellent initial recording characteristic and can store recorded data in a good condition over the long term.

Abstract: An optical recording medium includes a support substrate, a light transmission layer whose one surface constitutes a light incidence plane through which a laser beam is projected, an information recording layer formed between the support substrate and the light transmission layer, a reflective layer formed between the information recording layer and the support substrate, a water proof layer formed between the reflective layer and the support substrate and containing a mixture of ZnS and SiO2 as a primary component, and a corrosion resistant layer formed between the water proof layer and the reflective layer. According to the thus constituted optical recording medium, it is possible to effectively prevent a reflective layer from being corroded and has excellent storage reliability.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium of the invention has at least two information layers. A first information layer (100) disposed at the front side (viewed from a laser incident side) includes at least a reflection layer (3), a recording layer (6) disposed at the laser incident side with respect to the reflection layer (3), for generating a reversible change between an amorphous phase and a crystalline phase that can be detected optically by applying a laser beam, and a dielectric layer (50) disposed between the reflection layer (3) and the recording layer (6). The dielectric layer (50) contains at least Zr, Si and Cr, a ratio of Zr, Si and Cr of the dielectric layer (50) at the reflection layer side is expressed as Zr:Si:Cr=p:q:r (p+q+r=100), a ratio of Zr, Si and Cr of the dielectric layer (50) in the vicinity of the interface at the recording layer side is expressed as Zr:Si:Cr=s:t:u (s+t+u=100), and r<u or t<q.

Abstract: An optical disc has a support base and at least one information-retrieval layer formed over the support base. The information-retrieval layer is transparent and thinner than the support base. The information-retrieval layer exhibits variation in birefringence within ±20 nmpp (nano meter peak to peak) under double-pass measurements during one rotation of the optical disc.

Abstract: There is provided an optical recording medium capable of preventing cross erase and increasing its recording density. The optical recording medium includes: a reflecting film; a first transparent film provided on the reflecting film; a first semitransparent film provided on the first transparent film; a second transparent film provided on the first semitransparent film; a recording film provided on the second transparent film, the recording film being capable of reversibly changing an atomic arrangement; and a third transparent film provided on the recording film. The first semitransparent film has a complex refractive index of n?ik satisfying relationships of 0<n<1 and 1<k, and a product of a thickness d (nm) of the first semitransparent film and an extinction coefficient k of the complex refractive index is d×k?44.