Abstract: An information processing medium includes a substrate, a single layered or multilayered thin film layer formed on the substrate, and a thin protective film formed to cover at least one surface of the thin film layer. The thin protective film is mainly comprised of a synthetic resin. At least either one of a Young's modulus and a linear expansion coefficient of the thin protective film has a value compensating a radial skew variation of the substrate caused by a change in ambient conditions.

Abstract: In order to realize (A) an optical information recording medium in which information is stored in high density and can be precisely and securely reproduced, (B) a method for reproducing the optical information recording medium, and (C) an optical information processing apparatus using the optical information recording medium, an optical information recording medium 1, 2, or 3 of the present invention includes: (a) a substrate 12, having pits and/or grooves, each of which is made up of a rise and a recess, and each of which corresponds to recorded information that is optically reproduced by irradiation of a light beam; and (b) at lease one super resolution reproducing film 13, which has an optical property to be changed in response to a temperature increase caused by the irradiation of the light beam, the optical property of the super resolution reproducing film being reversibly changed depending on a temperature change in the super resolution reproducing film.

Abstract: An optical information storage medium includes a light transmitting layer, a first information storage layer, an intermediate layer mainly made of resin, a second information storage layer, and a substrate. The light transmitting layer, the first information storage layer, the intermediate layer, the second information storage layer, and the substrate are layered in this order from a reproduction light incident side. Each of the first information storage layer and the second information storage layer includes: a light absorbing film that absorbs reproduction light to generate heat; and a reproduction film that is heated by the heat generated by the light absorbing film so as to reproduce a signal shorter in mark length than a resolution limit of an optical system of a reproducing apparatus.

Abstract: A disc cartridge of the present invention has an arrangement in which a disc cover is provided so as to cover one side of a disc in a disc shape having a recording layer for recording/reproducing information. This arrangement protects a surface for recording/reproducing from being damaged, being attached by dust, or being dirty. Meanwhile, this arrangement gives a significantly thinner thickness to the disc cartridge.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium of the present invention, a reproduction method using the optical information recording medium, and an optical information processing device using the optical information recording medium, each of which optically reproduces recorded information by irradiating a light beam, include: a substrate on which a bumpy pit and/or groove corresponding to the recorded information or a recording layer is formed; and a temperature responsive layer whose optical property (transmissivity) in a wavelength of the light beam varies in response to temperature rise caused by irradiation of the light beam. The optical information recording medium can surely reproduce information, which has been recorded in a high density manner, with high accuracy.

Abstract: A disk cartridge having a small size and a sufficient portability. The disk cartridge has a size of 58 mm (L1)×54 mm (L2)×4 mm (L3), a thickness less than 5 mm and a small area less than a square of 65 mm. The disk cartridge has a notch 10 formed on the insertion side and having a width of 2 mm (L6) and a length of 27.5 mm (i.e., a taper portion of 6 mm (L4)+a straight portion of 21.5 mm (L5)).

Abstract: The subject invention achieves further improvement in recording density for an optical information recording medium using a medium super-resolution effect with a super-resolution film, by reduction of the effective spot diameter in a further effective way. According to the optical information recording medium of the present invention, information is recorded on a recording surface of a substrate 5 in the form of phase pits. On the recording surface, an information layer 4, composed of a reflection film 6, a light-absorbing film 3 and a temperature-responsive film 2, is formed. The temperature-responsive film 2 is made of a ZnO film, which is an inorganic super-resolution film whose complex refractive index changes according to intensity of incident light, the film is also superior in a light transmittance property. The light-absorbing film 3 is made of an Si film 3, which absorbs a part of the incident light so that the temperature of the information layer 4 increases.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium characterized by comprising a temperature-sensitive layer formed on a substrate, for reversibly changing in reflectance and/or transmittance with a temperature change. A temperature-sensitive layer having the property of changing in reflectance with a temperature change is used, as well as the property of changing in light interference effect with a temperature change, thereby providing an optical information recording medium capable of providing a higher, more stable reproduction signal power.

Abstract: A disk cartridge includes a case, substantially rectangular in shape, provided with a disk-shaped rotatable recording medium therein, the case including a plurality of windows through which the recording medium is exposed and a recording or reproducing head is inserted when recording or reproducing, and shutters provided for the plurality of windows respectively, that are capable of opening and closing so as to cover the plurality of windows when recording or reproducing is not performed, a first window and a second window of the plurality of windows being formed on one surface, and a width of the first window in an opening and closing direction of the shutters being wider than that of the second window. With this arrangement, it is possible to provide a disk cartridge capable of adopting for both a driving device for a small-sized disk and a driving device for a large-sized disk.

Abstract: By using an existing, relatively inexpensive manufacturing device, micropatterns (e.g. guiding grooves, prepits) having such track pitch and pit pitch that are smaller than the diameter of a light spot are formed more finely. There are provided at least two layers, i.e. (i) a resin substrate and (ii) a depressed part inducing layer made of dielectric material or metal oxide. A light beam is radiated and focused onto the depressed part inducing layer so as to form pit parts and/or guiding grooves on irradiated parts of the resin substrate. The depressed part inducing layer is then removed, so as to expose the pit parts and/or guiding grooves.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium of the present invention includes a thin film section made up of one or more thin film, the thin film section being provided on a substrate. Thin films of the thin film section include a single optical multiple interference film which incites optical multiple interference in a thin film section, the optical multiple interference being incited by the change of complex refractive index in accordance with the intensity of incident light. Also, the composition and thickness of the optical multiple interference film are arranged in such a manner as to cause the wavelength distribution of the reflectance of the thin film section at room temperatures to have a minimum value within wavelengths of ±80 nm of the incident light for reproduction. With this, the design freedom of the optical multiple interference film which realizes super-resolution reproduction with a reduced effective reproduction spot is significantly increased.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium includes a substrate formed in a concave-convex state by providing pits or grooves corresponding to recorded information, used for optically reproducing the information by irradiation of a light beam, and may also include a recording layer. The optical information recording medium includes a temperature responsive layer whose reflectance and/or transmittance for the light beam changes with a change in temperature caused by the irradiation of a light beam. With such an arrangement, the present invention provides an optical information recording medium enabling secure and highly accurate reproduction of information recorded with high density, and the recording and reproduction methods thereof.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium includes a substrate formed in a concave-convex state by providing pits or grooves corresponding to recorded information, used for optically reproducing the information by irradiation of a light beam, and may also include a recording layer. The optical information recording medium includes a temperature responsive layer 21 whose reflectance and/or transmittance for the light beam changes with an increase in temperature caused by the irradiation of a light beam and a light absorption layer 22. With such an arrangement, the present invention provides an optical information recording medium enabling secure and highly accurate readout of information recorded with high density, a recording method and a readout method using the same, a readout device, and a recording device.

Abstract: An optical data recording medium, in which irradiation of a light beam is used for recoding and/or reproducing data includes (i) a substrate having an a rise and/or a recess which are a light-incident surface, (ii) a reflective layer, provided on the light-incident surface of the substrate, for reflecting the light beam, (iii) a light absorption layer for converting, to heat, a light of the light beam to heat on the surface of the reflective layer, (iv) a reproducing layer, provided on the surface of the heat-light converting layer, having a transmittance that changes in accordance with a light intensity distribution of the light beam. The optical data recording medium is excellent in super-resolution property, and enables reproduction of a shorter mark length.

Abstract: This invention is an optical data recording medium having a substrate protective film for effectively suppressing deformation (warpage) associated with change in environmental humidity. The optical data recording medium includes a transparent substrate, a thin film layer formed on one surface of the transparent substrate, a thin film protective film formed of a resin as a main component on the thin film layer, and a substrate protective film formed of a resin as a main component on the other surface of the transparent substrate than the thin film protective film, in which the thin film layer is a single layer film or a multi-layer film including at least one of a dielectric film, a recording film and a reflective film, and the substrate protective film has a coefficient of humidity expansion that is larger than a coefficient of humidity expansion of the thin film protective film.

Abstract: An information processing medium includes a substrate, a single layered or multilayered thin film layer formed on the substrate, and a thin protective film formed to cover at least one surface of the thin film layer. The thin protective film is mainly comprised of a synthetic resin. At least either one of a Young's modulus and a linear expansion coefficient of the thin protective film has a value compensating a radial skew variation of the substrate caused by a change in ambient conditions.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium includes a transparent substrate, a thin film layer formed on said transparent substrate and having a recording film, a thin film protecting film formed on said thin film layer, and a substrate protecting film formed on said transparent substrates. A neutral plane of deformation caused by a temperature change of the optical information recording medium is present within the thin film layer. Consequently, it has become possible to provide an optical information recording medium which can prevent deformation (warpage) caused by temperature and humidity changes and be readily manufactured.

Abstract: A disc cartridge of the present invention is provided with a protrusion section on a shutter sliding surface so as to surround at least part of an opening. Moreover, a shutter for opening and closing the opening is provided with a shielding section for covering the opening and the protrusion section and a sliding surface for sliding on a shutter sliding surface during opening and closing operations of the shutter.