Abstract: A highly reliable magnetic recording medium is provided which has a recording layer formed in a concavo-convex pattern and wherein the recording layer is unlikely to cause a change in magnetic properties. The magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, a recording layer formed in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern over the substrate, convex portions of the concavo-convex pattern serving as recording elements; and a filler portion filling a concave portion between the recording elements. The filler portion comprises a metal-based main filler material and oxygen. Oxygen is unevenly distributed in the filler portion so that the ratio of the number of oxygen atoms to the total of the number of atoms of the main filler material and the number of oxygen atoms is greater in an upper surface portion of the filler portion than in a lower portion of the filler portion.

Abstract: A method of determining an optimum reproduction condition of a first mark recorded on an optical recording medium that is smaller than a resolution of a pickup to reproduce the first mark. The method includes obtaining an optimum reproduction condition of a second mark having a length which closely approximates the resolution of the pickup, and determining the optimum reproduction condition of the first mark using the obtained optimum reproduction condition of the second mark.

Abstract: The recording layer is made of both magnetic particles containing Co, Cr, and Pt and a nonmagnetic material containing Cr present among the magnetic particles. The recording element has an uneven Cr distribution such that the ratio of the number of Cr atoms that constitute the recording element to the total number of Co, Cr, and Pt atoms that constitute the recording element is less at the sidewall portion of the recording element than at the center portion of the recording element. The relationships given by Expressions (I) and (II) below are satisfied; Hnc<Hns??(I), and Hnc/Hcc<Hns/Hcs??(II) where Hns is the nucleation magnetic field of the sidewall portion of the recording element, Hnc is the nucleation magnetic field of the center portion of the recording element, Hcs is the coercive force of the sidewall portion, and Hcc is the coercive force of the center portion.

Abstract: A super-resolution optical recording medium has at least a recording layer and a super resolution layer on a substrate. In the recording layer, a minimum recording mark is formed with spaces within a beam spot of a laser beam in recording. The minimum recording mark has a size of a resolution limit of a reproduction optical system or less, and can be reproduced by the reproduction optical system due to the existence of the super solution layer. The minimum recording mark in an AFM image takes the shape of a convex arc on a leading edge thereof and the shape of a concave arc on a trailing edge thereof (the AFM image is a plan view which can be observed on a surface when the light transmission layer is removed), and spaces have the similar shape to these.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium is provided which can sufficiently reduce variations in surface roughness even in the simultaneous presence of a region of a relatively wide concave and convex portion and a region of a relatively narrow concave and convex portion in the recording layer. The method includes the steps of etching a recording layer based on a (first) mask layer to process it in a concavo-convex pattern, and depositing a filler over the recording layer and the mask layer to fill a concave portion with the filler. In between those steps, provided is the step of removing part of the first mask layer over a recording element (a convex portion of the recording layer) by dry etching in which an etching rate for the mask layer is higher than that for the recording layer so that the mask layer remains over the recording element.

Abstract: An optical recording medium includes a substrate, a first dielectric layer, a recording layer, a second dielectric layer, a super-resolution layer, and a third dielectric layer, which are provided in that order. The super-resolution layer is formed of a material configured such that voids are generated when the material is irradiated with DC light at a predetermined irradiation power for 1 to 300 seconds. Therefore, super-resolution reproduction can be made such that the irradiation power of a readout laser beam does not depend on the size of a recording mark.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium is provided in which recording elements and concave portions have a clear difference in terms of magnetism at the boundaries therebetween, and which has favorable production efficiency. The magnetic recording medium includes a substrate; a recording layer formed in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern over the substrate, convex portions of the concavo-convex pattern serving as recording elements; and a filler portion filling a concave portion between the recording elements. A center part of a bottom surface of the concave portion protrudes from edge parts of the bottom surface of the concave portion in a direction away from the substrate.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for measuring the read stability of an optical disc are provided. Specifically, readout of the optical disc is repeated at each of at least two read laser beams powers being different from each other. A graph is drawn in which the inverses of the read powers are plotted on a horizontal axis and in which on a vertical axis is plotted the logarithm of a repeated readout number for each of the read powers. Here, the repeated readout number is the number of repetitions of the readout when a characteristic value for the number of repetitions of the readout varies and reaches a predetermined value. The read stability of the optical disc is evaluated by using the gradient of the graph.

Abstract: A method of optimizing a writing condition of an optical recording medium, including writing test pattern data with the writing condition on the optical recording medium, comparing an error pattern binary signal detected by reproducing the written test pattern data with a correct pattern binary signal of the test pattern data, and determining an optimum writing condition of the optical recording medium based on a result of the comparison.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium has data track patterns formed by concave/convex patterns in data recording regions on at least one surface of a substrate and servo patterns formed by concave/convex patterns in servo pattern regions between the data recording regions. The concave/convex patterns include convexes, at least protruding end portions of which are formed of magnetic material, and concaves. A burst pattern region of each servo pattern region includes N (where N is at least two) burst regions, in which burst patterns, where plural burst signal unitary parts are aligned along a direction of rotation, are formed as the servo patterns. The burst signal unitary parts formed in M (where M is no greater than (N?1)) out of the N burst regions are concaves, and the burst signal unitary parts formed in L (where L is equal to (N?M)) out of the N burst regions are convexes.

Abstract: A super-resolution optical recording medium has at least a recording layer and a super resolution layer on a substrate. A recording mark with the size of a resolution limit or less and a space with the size of the resolution limit or less are formed in the super-resolution optical recording medium by adjusting the intensity of a laser for recording or an emission pattern of the laser for recording such that at least the recoding mark with the size of the resolution limit or less out of recording marks in a modulation code is formed into a concave section with respect to a not-recorded section.

Abstract: A method for recording information on an optical recording medium in which a laser beam modulated into one or a plurality of write pulses with one or a plurality of write powers in accordance with target data to be written is projected onto a recording layer of the optical recording medium to form a record mark. During recording the information on the optical recording medium, a data level and a weight index are assigned to each channel bit in reference data trains before and after the target data. Recording compensation of the target data is carried out in accordance with the sum totals of the products of the data level and the weight index in the reference data trains, so that it is possible to easily carry out high a real recording by writing fine mark/space trains.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical recording medium that includes a recording layer composed mainly of an organic compound and can utilize blue-violet semiconductor laser light (390 to 420 nm in wavelength) as recording/reproducing laser light. The present invention also provides an optical recording/reproducing method using the optical recording medium. The optical recording medium 1 comprises at least a supporting substrate 2; a recording layer 3 on the supporting substrate 2, the recording layer 3 containing an organic compound as a major component; and a light-transmitting layer 5 on the recording layer 3, the light-transmitting layer 5 being capable of transmitting laser light with a wavelength of 390 to 420 nm for recording and reproducing information.

Abstract: A method for determining recording laser power on a super-resolution optical recording medium, on which information is recorded on a super-resolution optical recording medium by irradiating a laser beam modulated into a recording pulse train according to recording data to thereby form a recording mark train including recording marks and spaces smaller than the resolution limit of a reproduction optical system and recording marks and spaces equal to or larger than the resolution limit, is provided. At the time of recording, the method determines a minimum value and a maximum value of recordable laser powers determined by test-writing before recording, and determines a maximum value of a recordable range of laser power by adding to the minimum value one-third of a difference between the maximum value of the recordable laser powers and the minimum value. The method determines an optimal range of recording laser power from the minimum value of recordable laser powers to the maximum value of the recordable range.

Abstract: A highly reliable magnetic recording medium is provided which has a recording layer formed in a concavo-convex pattern and wherein the recording layer is unlikely to cause a change in magnetic properties. The magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, a recording layer formed in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern over the substrate, convex portions of the concavo-convex pattern serving as recording elements; and a filler portion filling a concave portion between the recording elements. The filler portion comprises a metal-based main filler material and oxygen. Oxygen is unevenly distributed in the filler portion so that the ratio of the number of oxygen atoms to the total of the number of atoms of the main filler material and the number of oxygen atoms is greater in an upper surface portion of the filler portion than in a lower portion of the filler portion.

Abstract: On an information recording medium, a first region where first recording regions that are long in a radial direction are disposed at a predetermined pitch with first non-recording regions in between is provided in a preamble pattern region. A second recording region that connects first recording regions that are adjacent in a direction of rotation is provided in the first region. A second non-recording region that is longer in the direction of rotation than a length in the direction of rotation of the first non-recording regions at corresponding same-pattern-radius positions is provided at a position where a read of servo data is carried out following the first region.

Abstract: A filling material different from a first mask layer (temporary coating material) is deposited over a workpiece to fill concave portions. At least part of excess portions of the filling material is removed by a dry etching method such that at least part of the side surfaces of the first mask layer over recording elements are exposed. Then, the first mask layer is removed by a dry etching method which uses a reactive gas having the property of chemically reacting with and removing both the filling material and the first mask layer as a processing gas and in which an etching rate for the first mask layer is higher than that for the filling material, and the etching rate for the filling material is higher than that for a recording layer (a lower layer that is in contact with a lower surface of the first mask layer over recording elements).

Abstract: An optical recording disc includes a substrate, a third dielectric layer, a light absorption layer, a second dielectric layer, a decomposition reaction layer containing platinum oxide as a primary component, a first dielectric layer, and a light transmission layer. The decomposition reaction layer has a thickness of 2 nm to 20 nm, and the optical recording disc is constituted so that when it is irradiated with a laser beam from the side of the light transmission layer, the platinum oxide contained in the decomposition reaction layer as a primary component is decomposed into platinum and oxygen. A bubble pit is formed in the decomposition reaction layer by thus generated oxygen gas, and fine particles of the noble metal precipitate into the bubble pit, thereby forming a recording mark in the decomposition reaction layer.

Abstract: The magnetic recording medium includes: a substrate; a recording layer formed in a predetermined concavo-convex pattern over the substrate, the concavo-convex pattern including a convex portion that serves as a recording element; and a filling portion that fills a concave portion between the recording elements. The filling portion comprises a metal-based main filling material and nitrogen. Nitrogen is unevenly distributed in the filling portion such that the ratio of the number of nitrogen atoms to the total number of atoms of the main filling material and nitrogen atoms is greater in the upper surface portion of the filling portion than in the lower portion thereof.

Abstract: In a data recording and readingout system in which data is recorded and readout, or is readout on, or from an optical recording medium 1 by irradiating a laser beam having a wavelength “?” via an objective lens of a numerical aperture “NA” onto said optical recording medium, while the optical recording medium contains a layered structure formed by sandwiching a dielectric layer 6 between a recording layer 7 and an optical absorption layer 5, with respect to the optical recording medium 1 arranged in such a manner that data recorded by a recorded mark train can be readout and the recorded mark train contains a recorded mark smaller than, or equal to a limit of resolution, the laser beam is irradiated via the objective lens and a solid immersion lens having a refractive index “n” which is positioned between the optical recording medium and the objective lens, so that the data is recorded and readout, or is readout with respect to the optical recording medium by a recorded mark train which contains a recorded ma