Abstract: When a super resolution technology for optical disks is used in a situation where optical disk management information is formed with a signal that cannot be reproduced by a reproduction method based on a conventional optical disk technology, optical disk drives cannot make recording adjustments and/or reproduction adjustments. An optical disk drive uses an optical disk that forms a management information signal with pits not smaller in size than optical resolution and can be read by a reproduction method based on a conventional optical disk technology. When the optical disk drive records information onto or reproduces information from the optical disk having the super resolution region, it is possible to make proper recording adjustments or reproduction adjustments and perform a proper recording operation or reproducing operation in an optical disk's information region for user information recording or reproduction.

Abstract: An optical disc using super-resolution effects that achieves higher-density recording exceeding the optical resolution suffers from the signal-quality degradation caused by the normal resolution component included in the reproduction signal. To address this problem, a data reproduction method is provided. In the method, characteristic error patterns are identified and parity check codes in conformity with run-length limited coding are used to carry out efficient and reliable error correction. Error patterns caused by the normal resolution crosstalk are localized in the leading edges of a mark following a long space and in the trailing edges of a long mark. Whether an error exists in the data is determined by use of the parity check codes. When an error occurs, a pattern in which an error is most likely to occur is selected from the above-mentioned patterns by taking account of the edge shift direction, and then the error therein is corrected.

Abstract: A test-write method for accurately and quickly determining recording conditions, and an apparatus suitable therefor. In a 2T-based strategy, recording pulse conditions are determined by separately test-writing an even-number length mark and an odd-number length mark, and then the relative positions of the even-number length mark and the odd-number length mark at the recording pulse start time are adjusted.

Abstract: Provided is a medium capable of implementing a large-capacity recording at low cost per bit. A medium including a network of metal wires and recording materials each provided at an intersection of the metal wires. Surface plasmons are made to propagate along the metal wires. Two surface plasmons are made to propagate in two different directions and to collide with each other at a certain position. Multiple-layer recording is carried out by changing the recording materials at the certain position.

Abstract: An information memory device using an electromagnetic-wave resonance phenomenon is provided to achieve both high density and long-period storage of stored data. Memory cells are three-dimensionally arranged in the inside of a solid-like medium which is not contacted with a surface of the medium, and the memory cell has resonance characteristics to electromagnetic waves depending on the space coordinates of the memory cell. For the medium, a material is selected so that an electromagnetic wave having the resonance frequency of the memory cell. By observing absorption spectra of the irradiated electromagnetic wave or emission spectra after the absorption, three-dimensional space coordinates of the memory cell are calculated.

Abstract: For decreasing a recording current and suppressing a cross erase simultaneously, a three-dimensional phase-change memory for attaining higher sensitivity and higher reliability by the provision of a chalcogenide type interface layer is provided, in which an electric resistivity, a thermal conductivity, and a melting point of the material of the interface layer are selected appropriately, thereby improving the current concentration to the phase-change material and thermal and material insulation property with Si channel upon writing.

Abstract: A super-resolution material is formed in only a data pit, in a low temperature state of the super-resolution material, reflectivity of each of a pit portion and a space portion and an optical phase difference therebetween are set to be sufficiently small, in a high temperature state, and at least the optical phase difference between the pit and the space is set to be larger than the aforementioned value in an absolute value. Accordingly, by conducting irradiation with an appropriate read power by which substantially only one data track width can be heated to a high temperature state, a good push-pull signal can be obtained even with a track pitch being less than a diffraction limit.

Abstract: In an information storage device in which small compartments each for storing information are arranged three-dimensionally inside a solid body, the solid body having at least one pair of parallel planar portions on its surface is used for a memory medium. The information to be stored is divided into bits and stored in discrete minute areas that distribute three-dimensionally inside the memory medium. Anisotropy is given to the pitch of the memory cell and the pitch in a direction right-angled to the planar portion is made larger than the pitch in the parallel direction. Moreover, the data such that given n-bits are used as a unit is converted into a digital format such that m-bits larger than n are used as a unit and the number of included ‘1s’ is smaller than n, which is recorded in the memory medium. When recording the data on the medium, pieces of the data expressed by the m-bits are arranged on the plate in the right-angle direction.

Abstract: In a super-resolution optical disk for the purpose of achieving an increase in the density of recording data by reproducing a recording mark smaller than optical resolution, the optimum reproduction power needs to be determined since the quality of a super-resolution reproduced signal strongly depends on the reproduction laser power. However, since the track error signal required for tracking servo also depends on the reproduction power, there is a need for a method for determining the reproduction power taking into account both the stabilization of tracking servo and a quality improvement of the reproduction signal. The reproduction power is changed under conditions with focusing servo applied but without application of tracking servo. Thereby, a cross track signal is detected to identify a reproduction power region that leads to quality improvement of both a reproduction signal and a track error signal.

Abstract: An optical disk medium in which high density recording/reproducing is possible, an information recording method and an information reproducing method using it are provided. A pit composed of a phase change material and a recording film different from it are provided on an optical disk. The phase change pit has a pattern of a single frequency. A mark having a size on the same level as the phase change pit can be formed by melting a single phase change pit while recording and controlling the optical absorbance and the temperature of the recording film at the region. A single phase change pit is molten while reproducing. Since the optical characteristics of the molten region are different from the optical characteristics of other regions, only data at the molten region can be reproduced by a super-resolution effect.

Abstract: By referring to a table of reproducing conditions and medium specific parameters, stored in an optical disc or optical disc apparatus and/or generated by the optical disc apparatus, the medium specific parameters to be used for performing reproducing power adjustment are changed in accordance with the reproducing condition to execute reproducing power adjustment.

Abstract: A test-write method for accurately and quickly determining recording conditions, and an apparatus suitable therefor. In a 2T-based strategy, recording pulse conditions are determined by separately test-writing an even-number length mark and an odd-number length mark, and then the relative positions of the even-number length mark and the odd-number length mark at the recording pulse start time are adjusted.

Abstract: A disc structure for making an inverted optical response through a super-resolution process using a recorded mark portion and a space portion, which is realized to amplify a signal amplitude and solve a conventional problem that a conventional super-resolution technique can obtain only small signals, since the super-resolution area is reduced to realize high density recording of data.

Abstract: Ordinary optical disks need the resetting of recording conditions in the course of recording to cope with changes in ambient temperature, laser temperature, and medium's recording sensitivity. Optical disks for super-resolution reproduction which are intended to reproduce record marks smaller than the optical resolution, thereby increasing the recording density, need the resetting of recording conditions as well as the condition of super-resolution reproduction because the quality of reproduced signals depends largely on the power for super-resolution reproduction. The power for recording as well as the power for super-resolution reproduction is therefore changed in the course of test recording to detect the deviation from the optimum value of the recording condition to obtain the optimum recording power. In this case, it is also desirable to change the power for super-resolution reproduction in proportion to the power for recording.

Abstract: A test-write method for accurately and quickly determining recording conditions, and an apparatus suitable therefor. In a 2T-based strategy, recording pulse conditions are determined by separately test-writing an even-number length mark and an odd-number length mark, and then the relative positions of the even-number length mark and the odd-number length mark at the recording pulse start time are adjusted.

Abstract: Provided are a medium structure which allows track narrowing onto a three-dimensional pit selection type disc, and its corresponding optical disc device. Multiple data pit strings are formed between track guide grooves, and a phase-change recording film is formed only in the data pit strings. Thereby, a disc configuration is achieved. Reflectivity and a phase of each of a space portion and a mark portion are appropriately set. Thereby, normal resolution signal cancel is implemented to prevent deterioration in data crosstalk and a push-pull signal. An optical disc medium of the present invention is supported by an optical disc device having a configuration in which a signal is selected from a push-pull signal of a main beam and push-pull signals of sub-beams to read out wobble address information.

Abstract: A normal resolution component included in a readout signal of a super resolution optical disc is canceled to improve quality of the readout signal. The normal resolution component is separated from the readout signal of the super resolution optical disc by using a normal resolution selection filter such as a low pass filter, a mark length determination circuit, and then the normal resolution component is subtracted from an original readout signal while gain and a phase are appropriately controlled. Thereby, an influence of crosstalk due to the normal resolution component is reduced.

Abstract: A super resolution optical disk medium having an array of pits less than or equal in size to optical resolution is disclosed, wherein the pits are read by using heat generated within the medium upon irradiation of a read laser beam. A playback power determination method for use with the disk is also disclosed. A playback power level at which super resolution occurs is determined based on a bit error rate (bER) of the optical disk and the amplitude of a playback signal having a predefined signal pattern. In the optical disk, NR/SR is set to one (1) or less, where SR is the signal obtained from a high-temperature region in case the playback is performed in the state that the super resolution occurs, and NR is the amplitude of a signal which is read in the absence of such super resolution.

Abstract: When a super resolution technology for optical disks is used in a situation where optical disk management information is formed with a signal that cannot be reproduced by a reproduction method based on a conventional optical disk technology, optical disk drives cannot make recording adjustments and/or reproduction adjustments. An optical disk drive uses an optical disk that forms a management information signal with pits not smaller in size than optical resolution and can be read by a reproduction method based on a conventional optical disk technology. When the optical disk drive records information onto or reproduces information from the optical disk having the super resolution region, it is possible to make proper recording adjustments or reproduction adjustments and perform a proper recording operation or reproducing operation in an optical disk's information region for user information recording or reproduction.

Abstract: Super-resolution technology was proposed for generating marks smaller than the optical resolution in order to record data at high density on the optical disk. However, the achievable high density of the super-resolution technology was limited due to fluctuation of the region exhibiting the super-resolution effect due to the grain size or the molecular size comprising the super-resolution film. However fluctuation in the region exhibiting the super-resolution effect is reduced by utilizing recording marks possessing their own super-resolution effect and also by separating the recording marks from each other.