Abstract: An optical recording medium including a recording layer which includes a reversible phase-change recording material, the recording layer being capable of writing information therein, reading written information therefrom, and rewriting written information by utilizing the reversible phase change of the phase-change recording material, wherein when a recording mark formed in the recording layer is repeatedly read 5000 times, using a continuous wave laser beam having such an intensity Pr that satisfies the condition of 1.1?R?2.0, in which R is ?repeat/?1 as defined in the specification, the optical recording medium satisfies a relationship of d1>dow as defined in the specification. The phase-change recording material, a method of producing the optical recording medium, and a method of writing information in the optical recording medium, reading written information therefrom and rewriting written information therein are proposed.

Abstract: An optical recording medium includes a support substrate and two information recording layers, an information recording layer close to a light incidence plane through which a laser beam is projected including a first dielectric film, a second dielectric film and a recording layer disposed between the first dielectric film and the second dielectric film and a thickness of each of the first dielectric film and the second dielectric film being determined so as to be equal to or larger than D21 and equal to or smaller than D22, where D21 is smaller than D2, D22 is larger than D2, and D21 and D22 are determined in such a manner that the dependency X of light transmittance of the information recording layer close to the light incidence plane on the wavelength of a laser beam is smaller than 1.

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: A high-density readable only optical disk with a large storage capacity includes a substrate with pits, and one or more mask layers with a super resolution near field structure, which are made of a mixture of a dielectric material and metal particles. The optical disk can be obtained without decreasing the wavelength of a laser diode or increasing the numerical aperture of an objective lens.

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 disclosure relates to a data storage medium, and in particular to a data storage medium comprising at least one high modulus layer. In one embodiment, an asymmetric optical storage medium can comprise: a substrate layer comprising polyarylene ether, a high modulus layer comprising a thermoset, and a data layer disposed between the modulus layer and the substrate layer. The high modulus layer has a tensile modulus that is greater than a substrate layer tensile modulus. In another embodiment, an asymmetric optical storage medium can comprise: a substrate layer comprising polyarylene ether and having surface features and a high modulus layer disposed on the side of the substrate comprising the surface features. The surface features can comprise pits. The high modulus layer can comprise a thermoset, and can have a tensile modulus that is greater than a substrate layer tensile modulus.

Abstract: For example, a recordable single-sided two-layer optical disk which is recorded into and reproduced from with light whose wavelength is 405 nm is so configured that, if the front layer is an L0 layer and the inner layer is an L1 layer when viewed from the light entrance surface (or the light-receiving surface), the absorbance of the L1 layer in the wavelength range of 600 to 800 nm is higher than that of the L0 layer. In a part of the L1 layer whose absorbance to light in the range of 600 to 800 nm is high, an area (BCA) in which specific information on the optical disk is to be recorded is provided.

Abstract: A data storage medium includes a substrate, a reflective metal layer, and a haze-prevention layer between the substrate and the reflective metal layer. The substrate includes an amorphous thermoplastic resin having a heat distortion temperature of at least about 140° C., a density less than 1.7 grams per milliliter, and an organic volatiles content less than 1,000 parts per million measured according to ASTM D4526. The haze-prevention layer includes a material having a volume resistivity of at least 1×10?4 ohm-centimeters and a tensile modulus of at least about 3×105 pounds per square inch. The data storage medium resists hazing of the reflective layer at elevated temperatures.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an optical storage medium using nanoparticles, and more specifically to a multi-layer optical storage medium. According to the invention, the optical storage medium has two or more storage layers with nanoparticles, each storage layer being made of a dielectric material, wherein the dielectric materials of at least two storage layers have a different dielectric permittivity.

Abstract: An optical information storage medium includes a first substrate, a first recording layer, a first reflective layer, a spacer layer, a second recording layer, a second reflective layer, and a second substrate. In this case, the first recording layer is disposed above the first substrate. The first reflective layer is disposed above the first recording layer. The spacer layer is disposed above the first reflective layer. The second recording layer is disposed above the spacer layer, and the second recording layer is made of an inorganic material. The second reflective layer is disposed above the second recording layer. The second substrate is disposed above the second reflective layer.

Abstract: An optical recording disc is constituted by laminating a substrate, a reflective layer, a third dielectric layer, a light absorption layer, a second dielectric layer, a metal recording layer, a first dielectric layer and a light transmission layer in this order, and is constituted so that when a laser beam is irradiated onto the optical recording disc from the side of the light transmission layer, the metal recording layer is deformed and/or is changed in quality to form a state-changed region in the metal recording layer and the second dielectric layer and the light absorption layer are deformed and/or are changed in quality to form state-changed regions in the second dielectric layer and the light absorption layer, whereby a recording mark is formed in the metal recording layer, the second dielectric layer and the light absorption layer.

Abstract: The DTF optical memory makes use of the property of dielectric thin film interference to create multi-color pixels and serve as a multi-level optical memory device. The fabrication of the device comprises a dielectric thin film deposited on a substrate that is micro-milled utilizing focused ion beam (FIB) technology. Such micro-milling creates pixels of varying depth that when exposed to a broad-band light source create distinct colors caused by the properties of thin film interference and superposition of reflected light from the broad band source, thus creating an effective optical memory device that may be detected using a color CCD camera or a photo-detector array. Accurate creation and detection of discrete colors allows accurate digital encoding and direct storage of color image in a format of sub-micron pixel array. The robustness of the DTF optical memory device allows operation under harsh environmental conditions, including high temperatures and radiation.

Abstract: There is provided an optical recording medium having a phase-change recording layer formed based on a drastically new concept of making the content of Mn still higher than the prior art while using Sb as a main component. The optical recording medium has a recording layer composed of a plurality of elements, and the recording layer contains Sb, and also has an Mn content of more than 20 atomic % but not more than 40 atomic %, on condition that the total amount of all the elements composing the recording layer is 100 atomic %.

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: Metal alloy thin films are provided for use in the highly reflective and semi-reflective layers of optical discs. Alloys include silver alloyed with gold, palladium, copper, rhodium, ruthenium, osmium, iridium, and platinum. Other alloys include copper alloys with silver, magnesium, cadmium, aluminum, nickel, beryllium, zirconium and zinc. 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 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: An optical recording medium records information so that a recording density of a first recording layer 11 at the most distant part from a incidence plane of laser beam is higher than that of a second recording layer 13 at the incidence plane side.

Abstract: This invention relates to a read-only near-field optical disk using a zinc-oxide (ZnO) nano-structured thin film as the localized near-field optical interaction layer. This read-only near-field optical disk is a multi-layered body at least comprising; (a) a transparent substrate with pre-recorded pits or marks; (b) a reflection thin film; (c) a zinc-oxide (ZnO) nano-structured thin film which is capable of causing localized near-field optical interactions; (d) a first and a second protective and spacer layers formed above or below the localized near-field optical interaction layer, which are also made of transparent dielectric material. Ultrahigh density near-field optical readout can be achieved by localized near-field optical interaction between the zinc-oxide (ZnO) nano-structured thin film and the reflection layer on pre-recorded structure.

Abstract: An optically recorded article comprising a pattern of isomerized material in two isomeric forms in a matrix, wherein one of the isomeric forms is capable of being converted to the other form by one-electron oxidation and wherein said matrix was polymerized in-situ.

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: 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 substrate, a first recording layer formed on the substrate and containing an element selected from the group consisting of Si, Ge, C and Al as a primary component, and a second recording layer located in the vicinity of the first recording layer and containing Zn as a primary component, the optical recording medium being constituted to be irradiated by a laser beam projected onto the side opposite from the substrate and the total thickness of the first recording layer and the second recording layer being equal to or thinner than 30 nm. According to the thus constituted optical recording medium, it is possible to decrease a noise level and improve a C/N ratio in a reproduced signal.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of recording information on a memory medium and reading the information, comprising the steps of forming a reflective or transmissive surface having an anisotropic microstructure on a substrate of the memory medium to record information in the microstructure, entering light onto the reflective or transmissive surface, and detecting change in the polarization or intensity of a reflected or transmitted light caused by the microstructure, to read the information. The present invention also provides a memory medium, a production method thereof, and an information reading system.

Abstract: An optical recording medium 10 comprises a disc body 11, a white ink layer 12 provided on the label side 11b of the disc body 11, and an ink receiving layer 13 provided on the surface 12a of the white ink layer 12. The mean roughness (Ra) of the surface 12a of the white ink layer 12 is set not greater than 0.2 ?m. A step radially extended is left on the surface 13a of the ink receiving layer 13 and set not greater than 1.0 ?m. As the mean roughness (Ra) of the surface 12a of the white ink layer 12 is not greater than 0.2 ?m or as the step on the ink receiving layer 13 is not greater than 1.0 ?m, high printing quality can be secured when printing is done with an ink-jet printer.

Abstract: An optical recording medium includes a) a dielectric layer, b) a recording layer, and c) a reflective layer, which are stacked on a surface of a substrate in the described order or stacked on the surface in the order of b) the recording layer, a) the dielectric layer, and c) the reflective layer. The recording layer contains a mixed nickel oxides which decomposes to release a gas and becomes transparent upon heating.

Abstract: An information recording medium includes a transparent substrate and a recording layer or a metal layer provided on the transparent substrate directly or via a ground layer. The information recording medium has a RAM area on which information is recorded, reproduced or erased, and a ROM area from which only reproduction is made, and an average thickness of the recording layer of said RAM area is larger than that of the recording layer or metal layer of the ROM area.

Abstract: A multi-layered optical recording medium comprising a plurality of sets of at least a recording layer formed of an inorganic material and a resin layer formed of an energy-beam curable resin as an overlaying layer of the recording layer on a base with a fitting center hole formed in a center part. The recording layer except the recording layer immediately adjacent to the base are formed so that the inner circumferential edge of a cover layer, an upper layer, having a larger inner diameter than that of a spacer layer, a lower layer, is located on the outside of the inner circumferential edge of the recording layer in a range of 2 mm to 15 mm inclusive. The adhesive force between the spacer layer and the cover layer can be increased, and thus, separation at each inner circumferential edge between the recording layer and the spacer layer, between the recording layer and the cover layer, and between the spacer layer and the cover layer can be effectively avoided.

Abstract: For recording information at high density even at blue-laser wavelengths, a write-once-read-many optical recording medium includes a first inorganic thin film and at least one of a second inorganic thin film and an organic thin film, in which the first inorganic thin film contains at least “R” and “O,” wherein “R” is at least one selected from Y, Bi, In, Mo, V and lanthanum series elements; and “O” is oxygen atom, and the second inorganic thin film and the organic thin film are capable of suppressing at least one of deformation and breakage of the first inorganic thin film and receiving the change of state of the first inorganic thin film.

Abstract: Embodiments of optical discs and methods for making the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, the optical disc comprises: at least two plastic substrates comprising a bonding layer and a data layer disposed therebetween, wherein at least one of the substrates is a read side substrate comprising greater than or equal to about 0.05 wt % colorant, based upon the total weight of the read side substrate, and wherein the read side substrate has a UV Bonding Index of greater than or equal to about 0.5. One method for making the optical disc comprises: forming a first plastic substrate comprising greater than or equal to about 0.05 wt % colorant, based upon the total weight of the first plastic substrate, wherein a UV Bonding Index of the first plastic substrate is controlled to be greater than or equal to about 0.5, disposing a data layer between the first plastic substrate and a second substrate, bonding the first plastic substrate to the second plastic substrate with a bonding layer, and curing the bonding layer.

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: An optical information recording medium of the present invention includes: a substrate with at least one selected from the group consisting of a groove and a pit formed on one surface thereof; at least one information layer provided on the surfaces of the substrate, the information layer including at least one selected from the group consisting of a recording film and a reflective film; a resin layer provided on the information layer; and a light transmission layer provided on the resin layer. The resin layer includes a first resin film and a second resin film disposed in this order from the side of the light transmission layer, and when a water absorption rate of the first resin film is represented by A1 and a water absorption rate of the second resin film is represented by A2, A1 and A2 satisfy: A1>A2. The first resin film and the second resin film may have a different flexural modulus of elasticity.

Abstract: An optical disk includes a first substrate provided with a first minute concaves/convexes forming a CD signal and a second substrate provided with a second minute concaves/convexes forming a DVD signal, and a wavelength selective multi-layered film is formed on the second minute concaves/convexes by laminating titanium dioxide films and silicon dioxide films approximately fifteen (15) layers. Due to the wavelength selective multi-layered film, a laser beam which reproduces the CD signal is transmitted by a transmissivity of more than 80%, and a laser beam which reproduces the DVD signal is reflected by a reflectivity of more than 80%.

Abstract: An optical recording medium which comprises a 0.3 to 2.0 mm-thick substrate made from a thermoplastic resin and having embossed pits or guide grooves, a reflection layer formed on the substrate and a 3 to 200 ?m-thick transparent protective layer formed on the reflection layer and which reproduces recorded information based on a change in the intensity of reflected light by applying a light beam from the transparent protective layer side, wherein the substrate is formed from a polycarbonate resin having a specific chemical structure and a thermoplastic resin having specific physical properties. According to the present invention, there is provided an optical recording medium for surface recording and reproduction having a simple structure. Particularly, there is provided an optical recording medium having high recording density.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium is provided that records and reproduces information by means of laser beams irradiated from the side of the light transmission layer. The optical information recording medium provides a large capacity and a high degree of reliability and is inexpensive. At least a reflective film and a light transmission layer are formed, in the presented order, on the information recording surface of the support substrate. Information is recorded and/or reproduced by using the laser beam irradiated from the side of the light transmission layer. The reflective film, which is made of an alloy containing Ni and Cr as main components, has a thickness of 20 nm or more to 80 nm or less.

Abstract: A limited play optical storage medium for data is provided in the present invention. The limited play optical storage medium for data comprises a first substrate; a reflective layer; a data layer disposed between said substrate and said reflective layer; a reactive layer comprising at least one carrier; and at least one reactive material; and an optically transparent second substrate with an oxygen permeability in a range between about 0.01 Barrers and about 1.35 Barrers at 25° C. wherein the second substrate is between the reactive layer and a laser incident surface.

Abstract: An optical disc recording method of irradiating an optical beam to an optical disc including a basal plate made of synthetic resin which has a concavo-convex pattern formed in advance on one surface thereof, and a reflective coat made of metal which is formed over the concavo-convex pattern on the basal plate, to physically change the concavo-convex pattern so as to record identification data.

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, and zinc. These alloys have moderate to high reflectivity and reasonable corrosion resistance in the ambient environment.

Abstract: An optical recording medium includes a) a dielectric layer, b) a recording layer, and c) a reflective layer, which are stacked on a surface of a substrate in the described order or stacked on the surface in the order of b) the recording layer, a) the dielectric layer, and c) the reflective layer. The recording layer contains a mixed nickel oxides which decomposes to release a gas and becomes transparent upon heating.

Abstract: A resonant enhanced photosensitive material includes a trap center that is adapted to interact with light and enhances the photosensitivity of the material based on a resonant interaction process with photons.

Abstract: An optical information-recording medium which is capable of reducing dependency on the wavelength of a laser beam used in recording and reproducing data, while preventing occurrence of corrosion of a recording film and a crack in a dielectric film. Dielectric films of a recording layer other than a farthest information layer as viewed from the direction of irradiation of the laser beam have thicknesses thereof defined such that when the laser beam is irradiated onto the information layer, a reflectance of the information layer exhibited with respect to a laser beam in a first wavelength region ranging from 370 nm to 380 nm, and a reflectance of the same exhibited with respect to a laser beam in a second wavelength region ranging from 610 nm to 640 nm both assume minimum values relative to reflectances of other laser beams whose wavelengths are outside the first and second wavelength regions.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a cross-sectional shape of a concave-convex pattern formed on a master for an optical information recording medium can be easily controlled using heat-mode recording. The cross-sectional shape of the concavo-convex patter is controlled by using a master substrate which includes a substrate 101, a thermosensitive material layer 102 whose state is changed by exposure, and at least one recording-auxiliary layer 103 which is disposed in contact with the thermosensitive material layer 102, and selecting a thermal conductivity, an optical constant and a thickness of the recording-auxiliary layer 103 so as to thermally and optically control a condition of the thermosensitive material layer during the exposure.

Abstract: An optical disk includes a first substrate having a surface which is formed to have pits representing information, and on which a reflection film is formed, and a second substrate which is light-transmissive and has a surface formed to have pits representing information, and on which a translucent film is formed of silver or sliver alloy containing silver as a main ingredient. The reflection film and the translucent film are located opposite to each other, and an intermediate layer is light-transmissive fills a gap between the reflection film and the translucent film.

Abstract: A thin-film optical recording medium and compatible materials is disclosed. When the transparent layer and the reflecting layer of the present invention are exposed to a light beam, the two layers react to form a semi-transparent reflective alloy/compound area. The presence of such area (1) decreases the effective optical thickness of the transparent layer and/or (2) forms a region of changed optical n & k and/or (3) changes the optical polarization angle. At least one of the above three effects produces an optical contrast before and after the recording from which the signal modulation required for reading the optical media can be derived. The present invention allows high-density, high-resolution, high-speed recording of data that is highly compatible with the full visible-light spectrum.

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, palladium, copper, rhodium, ruthenium, osmium, iridium, and platinum. These alloys have moderate to high reflectivity and reasonable corrosion resistance in the ambient environment.

Abstract: A high-density readable only optical disk with a large storage capacity includes a substrate with pits, and one or more mask layers with a super resolution near field structure, which are made of a mixture of a dielectric material and metal particles. The optical disk can be obtained without decreasing the wavelength of a laser diode or increasing the numerical aperture of an objective lens.

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, Sn, Mg, In, Zn, Bi and Al as a primary component and a second recording film containing Cu as a primary component and 10 to 30 atomic % of Al as an additive.

Abstract: An optical recording medium includes a substrate and a plurality of recording layers laminated via at least intermediate layers, at least one of the recording layers other than a recording layer farthest from a light incidence plane among the plurality of recording layers containing at least one metal M selected from a group consisting of Ni, Cu, Si, Ti, Ge, Zr, Nb, Mo, In, Sn, W, Pb, Bi, Zn and La and an element X which can combine with the metal M upon being irradiated with a laser beam for recording data, thereby forming a crystal of a compound of the element X with the metal M. According to the thus constituted optical recording medium, it is possible to record data in and reproduce from a farthest recording layer from a light incidence plane in a desired manner and it is possible to record data in and reproduce from recording layer(s) other than the farthest recording layer from the light incidence plane in a desired manner.

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, palladium, copper, rhodium, ruthenium, osmium, iridium, and platinum. These alloys have moderate to high reflectivity and reasonable corrosion resistance in the ambient environment.

Abstract: An optical recording medium includes a substrate, a protective layer and a plurality of information recording layers between the substrate and the protective layer and capable of recording data in the plurality of information recording layers and reproducing data recorded in the plurality of information recording layers by projecting a laser beam via a light incidence plane constituted by one of the surfaces of the substrate and protective layer onto the plurality of information recording layers, each of the information recording layers other than a farthest information recording layer from the light incidence plane including two recording films, a first dielectric film located on the side of the light incidence plane with respect to the two recording films and containing an oxide as a primary component and added with nitrogen, and a second dielectric film located on the opposite side of the light incidence plane with respect to the two recording films and having a lower thermal conductivity than that of the

Abstract: A multilayer optical disk having an information storage layer which can as well as be reproduced by a general purpose reproducing apparatus, for example, a compact disk player, and from which information can be read from other information storage layers by using an exclusive reproducing apparatus. The method of manufacturing a multilayer disk comprises the steps of forming a first substrate having a first information storage area enabling reproduction of information therein with a first light beam having a wavelength of 770 nm to 830 nm; forming a second substrate having a second information storage area enabling reproduction of information therein with a second light beam having a wavelength of 615-655 nm but which is relatively transparent with respect to said first light beam; and bonding said first substrate to said second substrate together without said first and second said information areas facing each other.