Abstract: According to the present invention, in an optical disk apparatus constructed to supply signals for controlling a semiconductor laser drive circuit provided to an optical pickup from a signal processing circuit through a flexible cable, the semiconductor laser drive circuit is so constructed as to generate a drive current signal for the semiconductor laser on the basis of a binary signal and a clock signal which are supplied from the signal processing circuit through the flexible cable and the signal processing circuit is so constructed as to supply the clock signal during recording of data and stop the supply of the clock signal during reproduction of data.

Abstract: An optical disk drive includes drive current generation unit for supplying a mark forming semiconductor laser drive current and a space forming semiconductor laser drive current; first high-frequency superimposition unit for superimposing a high-frequency component on the space forming semiconductor laser drive current; and high-frequency superimposition control unit for controlling the first high-frequency superimposition unit to stop the superimposition of the high-frequency component for a predetermined duration prior to a timing at which to switch from the space forming semiconductor laser drive current to the mark forming semiconductor laser drive current, eliminating positional variations on the disk of the mark leading and trailing edges due to the high frequency superimposition.

Abstract: According to the present invention, in an optical disk apparatus constructed to supply signals for controlling a semiconductor laser drive circuit provided to an optical pickup from a signal processing circuit through a flexible cable, the semiconductor laser drive circuit is so constructed as to generate a drive current signal for the semiconductor laser on the basis of a binary signal and a clock signal which are supplied from the signal processing circuit through the flexible cable and the signal processing circuit is so constructed as to supply the clock signal during recording of data and stop the supply of the block signal during reproduction of data.

Abstract: A laser drive (LD) unit 1 according to the present invention is provided with a laser drive waveform controller 6, into which information for setting the laser drive is entered from a controller 2, for generating a laser drive waveform on the basis of that information and supplying an indicated amperage; an LD current setting unit 7 for setting a laser drive current matching the indicated amperage; an LD current output unit 8 for varying the laser drive current on the basis of the laser drive waveform and supplying the current so varied to a laser diode 3; and a current setting corrector 9, into which a monitor signal obtained at the time of monitoring the laser beam emission from the laser diode 3 is monitored, for correcting the laser drive current set by the current setting unit 7 by using that monitor signal to adjust the power of the laser diode 3. The laser drive waveform controller 6, current setting unit 7, current output unit 8 and current setting corrector 9 are formed on the same substrate.

Abstract: A laser drive integrated circuit and an optical disk apparatus using the laser drive integrated circuit for forming high-density marks. The optical disk apparatus has a drive waveform information storage unit for storing at least one information of the drive waveform for driving a laser diode in response to a binary recording signal recorded in a recording medium and a drive waveform decoder for decoding the drive waveform based on the information stored in the drive waveform information storage unit. The recording strategy can be changed in accordance with the variations and fluctuations of recording media or the characteristics of the recording media, while at the same time reducing the number of signal lines of flexible wiring and alleviating the effect of the signal distortion.

Abstract: A laser drive (LD) unit 1 according to the present invention is provided with a laser drive waveform controller 6, into which information for setting the laser drive is entered from a controller 2, for generating a laser drive waveform on the basis of that information and supplying an indicated amperage; an LD current setting unit 7 for setting a laser drive current matching the indicated amperage; an LD current output unit 8 for varying the laser drive current on the basis of the laser drive waveform and supplying the current so varied to a laser diode 3; and a current setting corrector 9, into which a monitor signal obtained at the time of monitoring the laser beam emission from the laser diode 3 is monitored, for correcting the laser drive current set by the current setting unit 7 by using that monitor signal to adjust the power of the laser diode 3. The laser drive waveform controller 6, current setting unit 7, current output unit 8 and current setting corrector 9 are formed on the same substrate.

Abstract: A laser drive integrated circuit and an optical disk apparatus using the laser drive integrated circuit for forming high-density marks. The optical disk apparatus includes a drive waveform information storage unit for storing at least one information of a drive waveform for driving a laser diode in response to a binary recording signal to be recorded in a recording medium, and a drive waveform decoder for decoding the drive waveform based on the information stored in the drive waveform information storage unit. A recording strategy can be changed in accordance with variations and fluctuations of recording media or characteristics of the recording media, while at the same time reducing a number of signal lines in flexible wiring and alleviating effects of signal distortion in the signal lines.

Abstract: A magneto-optical recording medium having a substrate and a magnetic layer composed of at least a recording layer and a supporting layer and being capable of retrieving information by utilizing the fact that when it is irradiated with a laser beam it produces the magneto-optical effect which affects its reflected light, characterized in that the recording layer has a lower Curie temperature than has the supporting layer and recording layer is thin enough for the laser beam to pass through. A magneto-optical recording medium as defined above, wherein the supporting layer is composed of a first supporting layer and a second supporting layer, and the recording layer, the first supporting layer, and the second supporting layer have Curie temperatures of T1, T2, and T3, respectively, which satisfy the following relationship. T1<T2 and T2≧T3 A magneto-optical recording medium defined as above, wherein the recording layer has a higher Curie temperature than has the supporting layer.

Abstract: A magneto-optical information recording/reproducing apparatus in which a magneto-optical information recording medium at least including a first magnetic film having perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, and a second magnetic film to which information recorded on the first magnetic film is transferred by irradiation of a laser beam, is used so that a readout laser beam is irradiated onto the second magnetic film to thereby readout the information transferred to the second magnetic film. The apparatus includes a 2-split detection circuit for receiving the readout laser beam reflected from the second magnetic film of the recording medium, and a subtraction circuit in which output signals of the two detection elements of the 2-split detection circuit are subtracted from each other to generate a differential signal.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording medium, a frequency modulator for conducting frequency modulation on a digital-modulated signal to generate a recording signal, and a recording unit for recording the recording signal on the recording medium.

Abstract: A masking type light control layer for decreasing its reflection factor in a high-temperature region is formed on phase pits of an optical disc, and the phase pit depth is set to a predetermined value. A light spot for reproduction is shaped to an elliptical form and two sub-flux beams on the optical disc are spaced by 5/4 track pitch from a principal flux beam in the radial direction of the optical disc. The kind of optical disc is discriminated and reproduction laser power and characteristics of an equalizer circuit are switched in accordance with the type of an optical disc. Through this, a stable servo signal detection can be ensured and repetitive reproduction characteristics can be improved.

Abstract: A video optical disk system which can record/reproduce information in the same recording format as that of a read only type optical disk such as an LD, and is therefore compatible with both the read only type optical disk and a writable optical disk. A writable optical disk exhibiting a C/N ratio of at least 60 [dB] is employed, and has information recorded thereon with the same address signals as those of the LD and in the NTSC direct FM recording format. An optical head and an image processing circuit which are included in a player unit are made common to the recorded disk and the LD, and characteristics of a focusing/tracking control circuit, an RF signal preamplifier circuit and a tilt control circuit which are included in the player unit are changed over on the basis of reflectances of both types of optical disks, thereby enabling both the recorded disk and the LD to be reproduced.

Abstract: In a thin film magnetic head consisting of a non-magnetic substrate, and a multilayer structure superposed thereon and including a lower core, a gap material layer, a thin film coil and an upper core, etc., the head sliding surface of the lower core and that of the upper core are so formed that they become wider with increasing distance from the surface of the gap material layer.