Abstract: According to one embodiment, an information recording and reproducing device includes a stacked body. The stacked body includes a first layer, a second layer and a recording layer provided between the first layer and the second layer. The recording layer includes a phase-change material and a crystal nucleus. The phase-change material is capable of reversely changing between a crystal state and an amorphous state by a current supplied via the first layer and the second layer. The crystal nucleus is provided in contact with the phase-change material and includes a crystal nucleus material having a crystal structure identical to a crystal structure of the crystal state of the phase-change material, and a crystal nucleus coating provided on a surface of the crystal nucleus material and having a composition different from a composition of the crystal nucleus material.

Abstract: A multilayer optical recording system to record information with light includes a lens unit, a recording medium, and a microscopic drive unit. The lens unit includes a metamaterial lens or a plasmon lens. The metamaterial lens has a first dielectric member in which first microstructures are implanted in a substantially regular manner. The plasmon lens has an aperture. The aperture is a hole or a slit created in a metal film. The microscopic drive unit is configured to adjust a relative position between the lens unit and the recording medium. In addition, the principal plane is placed to be in contact with the lens unit or to have a gap between the principal plane and the lens unit. Furthermore, the second microstructures are arranged periodically in a direction substantially perpendicular to the principal plane of the recording medium.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an information recording and reproducing device includes a stacked body. The stacked body includes a first layer, a second layer and a recording layer provided between the first layer and the second layer. The recording layer includes a phase-change material and a crystal nucleus. The phase-change material is capable of reversely changing between a crystal state and an amorphous state by a current supplied via the first layer and the second layer. The crystal nucleus is provided in contact with the phase-change material and includes a crystal nucleus material having a crystal structure identical to a crystal structure of the crystal state of the phase-change material, and a crystal nucleus coating provided on a surface of the crystal nucleus material and having a composition different from a composition of the crystal nucleus material.

Abstract: A phase change memory including at least a storage cell which includes a first electrode, an electrically conductive portion provided on the first electrode and having at least two electrically conductive bodies with approximately the same shape provided on the first electrode, the electrically conductive bodies being spaced by a high resistance film with a high resistance, a recording layer provided on the electrically conductive portion and having phase change material which can change between a first phase state with a first specific resistance and a second phase state with a second specific resistance different from the first specific resistance, and a second electrode provided on the recording layer.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, in a phase change optical disk which has a substrate and a multi-layered including an interference film, phase change recording film, interface film, and reflecting film, and in which information is reversibly recorded in or erased from the recording film by using light, an element (e.g., Ge or Te) forming the phase change recording film has segregation or a concentration distribution in the thickness direction of the recording film from a portion in contact with the phase change recording film.

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: In a single-sided, recordable/rewritable phase change optical recording medium having one or more layers, an interface layer adjacent to a phase change optical recording film contains at least Zr (zirconium), O (oxygen), and N (nitrogen), and further contains one or both of Y (yttrium) and Nb (niobium).

Abstract: A multilayer optical recording system to record information with light includes a lens unit, a recording medium, and a microscopic drive unit. The lens unit includes a metamaterial lens or a plasmon lens. The metamaterial lens has a first dielectric member in which first microstructures are implanted in a substantially regular manner. The plasmon lens has an aperture. The aperture is a hole or a slit created in a metal film. The microscopic drive unit is configured to adjust a relative position between the lens unit and the recording medium. In addition, the principal plane is placed to be in contact with the lens unit or to have a gap between the principal plane and the lens unit. Furthermore, the second microstructures are arranged periodically in a direction substantially perpendicular to the principal plane of the recording medium.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an optical recording media including two or more information layers, at least one of the information layers including a writable recording film. In the optical recording media, at least one information layer has protrusions and recesses that permit tracking and at least another one information layer is substantially flat.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an optical recording medium according to one embodiment of the invention is an optical recording medium to be processed using a light beam having a wavelength ? and a lens having a numerical aperture NA, which includes one of a track and a pit array, and in which a width TP of the track or pit satisfies a condition 0.480?TP×NA/?<1.026.

Abstract: An optical recording media has a disc substrate and two or more recording layers arranged apart from each other with a dielectric layer interposed therebetween to cause optical change simultaneously by irradiation with light, in which a first recording layer positioned near the disc substrate has a higher optical change temperature and a higher extinction coefficient compared with those of a second recording layer and a later recording layer.

Abstract: A Phase-change optical recording media includes a recording film that causes reversible phase-change between a crystalline phase and an amorphous phase on irradiation with light, and an interface film formed in contact with at least one surface of the recording film and containing Hf (hafnium), O (oxygen) and N (nitrogen).

Abstract: A sputtering target contains Si and C as its major components and includes a texture in which a Si phase continuously exists in a net shape in gaps among SiC crystal grains. An average diameter of the Si phase is controlled to 1000 nm or less. The sputtering target is sputtered in an oxygen-containing gas, thereby depositing an optical thin film containing Si and O as its major components, and a third element other than the major components, a total amount of the third element being within a range from 10 to 2000 ppm.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical disk apparatus in which a first, second, third, and fourth optical disks are selectively installed, the first and second optical disks having different recording film characteristics and both having a single-layer recording layer, the third and fourth optical disks having different recording film characteristics and both having a double-layer recording layer. A control section determines which of the first to fourth optical disks has been installed, on the basis of the level of a reproduction signal from an optical head. Recording media serving as the optical disks are formed so that the light reflectances of a single-layer L-H medium in an initialized state, an L0 layer of a double-layer H-L medium in the initialized state, and an L0 layer of a double-layer L-H medium in an uninitialized state do not overlap the light reflectance of a single-layer H-L medium in the initialized state.

Abstract: Even if sizes of storage cells are reduced in a phase change memory, properties of the respective storage cells can be set to be approximately equal to one another and a current amount required for phase change can be reduced sufficiently. The phase change memory includes at least a storage cell. The storage cell includes a first electrode, an electrically conductive portion provided on the first electrode and having at least two electrically conductive bodies with approximately the same shape provided on the first electrode, the electrically conductive bodies being spaced by a high resistance film with a high resistance, a recording layer provided on the electrically conductive portion and having phase change material which can change between a first phase state with a first specific resistance and a second phase state with a second specific resistance different from the first specific resistance, and a second electrode provided on the recording layer.

Abstract: A phase change recording medium comprising an as-deposited first recording layer configured to undergo a reversible phase change between an amorphous state and a crystalline state due to light irradiation and thereby change an optical characteristic. The as-deposited first recording layer includes a plurality of fine nuclei having an average size of 0.5 nm to 4 nm in the amorphous state.

Abstract: According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical recording medium including a first substrate, a first adjusting layer, an organic recording layer, a second adjusting layer and a second substrate, sequentially stacked in the mentioned order. The first and second substrates have a refractive index of n1. The organic recording layer has a refractive index of n2. The first and second adjusting layers have a thickness of k and a refractive index distribution in a range of ns from a minimum value on sides contacting with the organic recording layer to a maximum value on sides contacting respectively with the first and second substrates. ns satisfies n2?ns?n1, and k satisfies 5?k?200 nm.

Abstract: An optical recording medium includes a plurality of information layers each having a recording layer for recording information, wherein at least one of the information layers includes an optical change layer which optical constant changes by light irradiated thereon and restores to an original value after completion of the light irradiation.

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 has a transparent substrate having a first surface and a second surface, a recording layer provided on the first surface of the substrate and on which a light beam is incident to record information as a hologram, and a servo layer provided on the second surface of the substrate and including a phase change layer in which servo information is recorded as a phase change. The servo information is recorded as changes in the phase of the phase change layer.