Abstract: An optical recording medium has a user data area and a lead-out area each having grooves and lands formed thereon. Wobbles are formed on at least one lateral surface of the grooves of the user data area and the lead-out area, and configured such that wobble characteristics are made different between the user data area and the lead-out area. Different types of the wobbles are formed on the grooves of either the user data area or the lead-out area, thereby preventing an optical pickup that performs recording/reproducing, from deviating from the user data area. Also, in a multi-layer optical recording medium, a whole area of a recording layer is configured to have the same condition, thereby preventing deterioration in reproducing and/or recording due to a difference in light power transmittance of another recording layer.

Abstract: An optical recording medium allowing high-density recording, where a groove having a shallow U-shaped cross section wider than certain width, a master for manufacturing optical recording medium, a manufacturing apparatus thereof, and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. A exposure beam (61) and a exposure beam (62) are recombined together with a first exposure beam (60) in a second PBS (47) so that traveling directions thereof may be the same direction. At this time, the exposure beam (61) and the exposure beam (62) are arranged so that both optical axes may be aligned at certain distance. Thereby, a width of a spot formed by combining these beams can be extended, and light exposure of the spot can be proper to form a shallow groove, as typically showed in FIG. 3.

Abstract: An optical information reproducing method of reproducing multivalued information recorded on a track of an optical information medium having a recording/reproducing region, which has virtual cells arranged thereon at regular spacings, the multivalued information being recorded thereon by changing a length of an information pit in a track direction or an area of the information pit in a cell with the use of a light spot, and the multivalued information being reproduced by detecting the level of a multistage reproduced signal from the information pit.

Abstract: An optical information reproducing method of reproducing multivalued information recorded on a track of an optical information medium having a recording/reproducing region, which has virtual cells arranged thereon at regular spacings, the multivalued information being recorded thereon by changing a length of an information pit in a track direction or an area of the information pit in a cell with the use of a light spot, and the multivalued information being reproduced by detecting the level of a multistage reproduced signal from the information pit.

Abstract: A super-resolution medium (1) has a medium identification information for specifying a type of medium recorded in a medium information area (3) by use of pre-pits having a length not shorter than a length of a resolution limit of an optical system in a reproducing device (10).

Abstract: The present invention is embodied in a recording device and media for storing computer readable data on a removable storage medium that includes using a first wavelength to write data to the removable storage medium and creating marks while writing the data that have predetermined wide spot sizes so that the marks can be read with a second wavelength, different from the first wavelength, of another computer readable storage device.

Abstract: A data storage master disk and method of making a data storage master disk. The data storage disk master is for use in a data storage disk replication process. The data storage disk molding processes produces replica disks having a surface relief pattern with replica lands and replica grooves. The method includes providing a master substrate. The master substrate is at least partially covered with a layer of photosensitive material. A surface relief pattern having master lands and master grooves is recorded in the data storage disk master, including the steps of exposing and developing the photosensitive material is controlled to form master grooves extending down to a substrate interface between the master substrate and the layer of photosensitive material, such that the width of the master grooves at the substrate interface corresponds to a desired width of the replica lands.

Abstract: A photo-curable transfer sheet having a photo-curable layer comprising a photo-curable composition, the photo-curable composition being deformable by application of pressure and containing a reactive polymer having a photopolymerizable functional group. The photo-curable transfer sheet preferably has a light transmittance of not less than 70% in a wavelength rang of 380 to 420 nm. An optical information recording substrate and medium prepared by the sheet. The sheet easily and precisely enables transfer of unevenness of the surface of a stamper by pressing.

Abstract: A high-density read-only optical disc, and an optical disc apparatus and method using the same. The apparatus and method record data on a lead-in area of a high-density read-only optical disc such as a BD-ROM (Blu-ray disc ROM (Read Only Memory)) in the form of pre-pit strings associated with an HFM (High-Frequency Modulated) groove applied to a BD-RW (Blu-ray Disc Rewritable). Moreover, the apparatus and method continuously apply the same tracking servo operation to an entire area of the same high-density read-only optical disc or rewritable optical disc. Therefore, the apparatus and method can simplify an algorithm for controlling a plurality of tracking servo operations, and avoid an increased size of the optical disc apparatus.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an optical information recording medium suited for high-density and high-speed recording using a recording wavelength of 360 to 450 nm, in particular, around 400 nm (for example, 405 nm) and its recording method. The present invention is based not on a conventional High to Low method but on a Low to High method and, when the reflectance of the pit is higher than that of the non-pit area, the maximum film thickness of the recording layer at the track area where the pits are arranged is in the range from 25 to 60 nm and the maximum film thickness of the recording layer at the area adjacent to the track area is in the range of 5 to 30 nm, a satisfactory push-pull signal can be obtained. Further, the film thickness of the reflecting layer is preferably set in the range from 120 to 180 nm, and groove width of the reflection layer is preferably set in the range from 85 to 150 nm.

Abstract: Plural grooves or lands formed in an information recording carrier include at least a wobbling region and data is recorded wobblingly in this wobbling region by frequency shift modulation while recorded digitally with a single or multiple waves as a channel bit.

Abstract: Plural grooves or lands formed in an information recording carrier include at least a wobbling region and data is recorded wobblingly in this wobbling region by frequency shift modulation while recorded digitally with a single or multiple waves as a channel bit.

Abstract: An optical disc 1 according to the present invention has a first defect management area 6, to which a first kind of defect management information about non-permanent defects may be added, and a second defect management area 7, to which a second kind of defect management information about permanent defects may be added. The second kind of defect management information added to the second defect management area 7 is non-rewritable.

Abstract: An optical disc medium (10) is provided with a data recording area (12) having the spiral recording track (11) and a lead-in area (13) composed of an embossed pit. In the lead-in area (13), information indicating a characteristic range of a signal detected by an optical head from a groove track is previously recorded. In accordance with a kind of the optical disc medium (10), even when the characteristic range of the signal detected by the optical head from the groove track is different, since the information indicating the characteristic range is previously recorded on the optical recording medium (10), tracking operation of the recording track can be performed under conditions within the characteristic range. Therefore, the tracking operation of the recording track (11) can be accurately performed to any kind of optical disc medium (10).

Abstract: A super-resolution medium (1) has a medium identification information for specifying a type of medium recorded in a medium information area (3) by use of pre-pits having a length not shorter than a length of a resolution limit of an optical system in a reproducing device (10).

Abstract: The invention provides for modifications to conventional optical data storage media to reduce the amount of raw material necessary in the media construction. More particularly, a portion of a thermoplastic substrate is modified to create one or more substantial void areas compared to a conventional substrate that defines flat parallel surfaces without void areas. The configuration, number, and size of the voids may be modified in order to substantially reduce inherent raw material cost while maintaining the specified physical thickness, clamping area, and mechanical stability of the medium.

Abstract: According to the present invention, whether recoding pits are larger or smaller than diffraction limit is determined. Then, a signal process suitable for processing of the recording pits larger than the diffraction limit and a signal process suitable for processing of the recording pits smaller than diffraction limit are divided to divisionally perform equalizer processing. The respective signals subjected to the divisional processing are synthesized to obtain a processed output signal. A reproduction signal with reduced impact of intersymbol interference is thus obtained.

Abstract: The invention provides an optical disk that enables high-speed reproduction of address signals. A wobble address system for optical disk supports various types of synchronization, such as phase synchronization, bit synchronization, word synchronization, etc., to be established easily with high detection reliability with the use of an self-orthogonal code. Thus, the invention provides a method for easily synchronizing an address signal, i.e., high-speed reproduction of the address signal. Further, by virtue of an efficient modulation system of the address signal and redundancy thereof, it becomes possible to detect address information with high reliability. This capability is particularly effective in optical recording/reproduction with a blue light source whose signal light quantity and reproduction quality are prone to reduce.

Abstract: A recording method whereby an inorganic resist made of an incomplete oxide of a transition metal is formed as a film onto a substrate and a latent image corresponding to pits is formed onto the inorganic resist by exposure. The exposure is performed by a laser beam whose intensity has been modulated by a pulse signal whose pulse height decreases in a rear portion in a length direction of the pit, thereby forming a format of a track pitch smaller than a recording beam diameter (track pitch/exposure beam diameter=0.333 to 0.833).

Abstract: An optical disk includes a groove and a land. Data is recorded on either the land or the groove. A pitch of the groove and a pitch of the land are 0.32 ?m or more. The optical disk has a data efficiency of 80% or more by adopting a format in which other types of user data are added to every plural user data sets. The data efficiency is defined by a ratio of a user data capacity that can be used by a user to a total data capacity of the optical disk.

Abstract: A super-resolution optical recording medium (10) of the present invention includes: a medium information region (1) on which medium identification information is recorded; a content region (3) on which content information is recorded; and a blank region (2) provided between the medium information region (1) and the content region (3) and in which at least two tracks are provided so as to connect a train of prepits in the medium information region (1) and a train of prepits in the content region (3). No information is recorded on the blank region (2). With this arrangement, the present invention provides a super-resolution optical recording medium in which a region on which medium identification information is recorded and a region on which content information is recorded are different in track pitch and in which a reproduction error hardly occurs when reproduction shifts from the region on which the medium identification information is recorded to the region on which the content information is recorded.

Abstract: By use of a substrate which can be stably formed and has a relatively small groove depth, a very high density optical recording medium having good recording/reading characteristics is provided. In an optical recording medium of a surface incidence type, in which a reflective layer, a recording layer containing a dye as a main component and a cover layer are sequentially formed on a substrate having guide grooves formed therein, a guide groove part on a far side from a plane of incidence of a recording/reading light beam on the cover layer is set as a recording groove part, and reflected light intensity in a recorded pit portion formed in the recording groove part is increased by a phase shift and is set higher than reflected light intensity in unrecorded.

Abstract: An optical head 12 reproduces information recorded on an optical disc 11, a BCA detector 21 and a medium discriminating circuit 22 acquire waveform distortion information for specifying a waveform distortion of a reproduction signal reproduced by the optical head 12, and a variable waveform equalizer 16 changes a parameter used in a distortion reduction processing for reducing the waveform distortion of the reproduction signal based on the waveform distortion information.

Abstract: An optical-information recording medium includes a substrate that includes a servo surface having a servo pattern thereon; an information recording layer laminated on the servo surface of the substrate capable of recording information as a hologram produced by interference between an information beam containing the information and a reference beam; an address servo area that is formed as a part of the servo pattern, and that records therein address information and clock information for aligning a beam, emitted from an optical-information recording apparatus for recording information in the information recording layer, to a target position in the information recording layer; and a following up servo area that is formed as a part of the servo pattern, and that is to be irradiated by the beam to make the beam follow a rotation of the optical-information recording medium.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a holographic storage medium, and more specifically to a holographic storage medium with an improved servo architecture for precise positioning of a laser beam in radial, axial and tangential direction. According to the invention, a holographic storage medium includes a holographic layer for storing holograms and a servo layer with a track structure for positioning a light beam for reading and/or recording of a hologram relative to the holographic recording medium, wherein the track structure includes a pack of two or more tracks.

Abstract: A recording layer close to a disc surface is divided into at least two recording areas, a main information recording area D1A and an auxiliary information area (BCA) D1C. Grooves are formed in the main information recording area D1A. Marks M are formed in barcode form representing identifying information in the auxiliary information recording area (BCA) D1C. Track grooves G1 or prepits are formed in the recording layer of the auxiliary information recording area (BCA) D1C and have a depth smaller than that of the groove formed in the main information recording area D1A.

Abstract: An optical disk structure and optical disk recorder which enables data to be re-written onto the recording layer of the optical disk. A clock reference structure is permanently formed along servo tracks of the optical disk. An optical transducer is coupled to the clock reference structure and generates a clock reference signal simultaneously with writing new data onto the recording layer of the optical disk. The data is written as data marks along the servo tracks. Each of the data marks includes edges. The edges of the data marks are recorded in synchronization with a write clock. The write clock is phase-locked with the clock reference signal. Therefore, the edges of the data marks are aligned with the clock reference structure with sub-bit accuracy. Standard DVD-ROM disk readers are not able to detect the high spatial frequency of the clock reference structure.

Abstract: A rewritable phase-change optical recording medium is provided, which includes a substrate, a first information layer, a spacer layer, a second information layer, and a cover layer. The second information layer includes a recording film containing Sb as a main component and V or V and In as second components. When an amorphous mark formed in the recording film is irradiated with a reproduction beam, crystallization of the amorphous mark occurs only in a central portion in the width direction of the amorphous mark. The width direction is orthogonal to the scanning direction of the laser beam. The recording film is formed of a material that exhibits a change in degree of modulation of 5% or less when recorded information is repeatedly reproduced. The change in degree of modulation is a change from when the number of times of reproduction is 100,000 to when it is 400,000.

Abstract: A disclosed multilayer optical information medium includes three or more information layers. Address information indicating positions in each of the information layers is recorded in a helical manner. The information layers comprise at least one I to O layer in which values representing addresses in the address information increase from an inner perimeter section toward an outer perimeter section, and at least one O to I layer in which the values representing the addresses in the address information increase from the outer perimeter section toward the inner perimeter section. All of the I to O layers have substantially the same address information and all of the O to I layers have substantially the same address information. Layer specifying information specifying the information layer is attached to the address information.

Abstract: Plural grooves or lands formed in an information recording carrier include at least a wobbling region and data is recorded wobblingly in this wobbling region by phase shift modulation while recorded digitally with a single or multiple waves as a channel bit.

Abstract: An optical pickup is disposed which irradiates a laser beam onto an optical disc where a guide groove having characteristics of thermal interference (heat discoloration) is spirally formed. The optical pickup irradiates the laser beam along the guide groove to conduct one of data recording in which pits indicating a data length are formed, and visible-image formation in which a part of the optical disc is discolored. The laser beam irradiation position is controlled so that the data recording is conducted with starting from the inner peripheral side of the optical disc, and the visible-image formation is conducted with starting from the outer peripheral side of the optical disc.

Abstract: In a magnetic recording apparatus, a magnetic recording medium has a RAM area on which rewritable information can be recorded. The magnetic recording medium also has a ROM area having a pattern area in which first-type segment sequence of magnetically rewritable magnetic segments and magnetically non-rewritable nonmagnetic segments is fixedly recorded as first-type modulation information. Predetermined segments in the first-type segment sequence are magnetized and changed to magnetized segments. A segment sequence of first and second segments magnetized in one and opposite directions is used to magnetically record second-type modulation information in the pattern area.

Abstract: An information recording medium excellent in surface smoothness. The information recording medium has a data track pattern and a servo pattern formed on at least one surface of a substrate by a concave/convex pattern including a plurality of convex portions. The concave/convex pattern has concave portions each having a non-magnetic material embedded therein. An A concave/convex pattern forming the servo pattern includes a plurality of servo convex portions formed in a manner associated with servo data. At least part of the plurality of servo convex portions are formed by a B concave/convex pattern including a plurality of non-servo convex portions. This arrangement makes it possible to maintain excellent surface smoothness within a servo pattern area, thereby enabling the recording/reproducing apparatus to execute stable recording and reproducing on and from the information recording medium.

Abstract: A data storage device comprises a substrate having oppositely disposed surfaces and a plurality of volumes arranged along tracks between the surfaces; a plurality of micro-holograms each contained in a corresponding one of the volumes; and, at least one groove in at least one of the surfaces and being operative to diffract light through the at least one surface and into the volumes; wherein, the presence or absence of a micro-hologram in a stacked layer in each of the volumes is indicative of a corresponding portion of data stored.

Abstract: A detector is scanned across an optical storage medium having groove tracks and land tracks, each track having a wobble structure, to detect light reflected from the optical storage medium. A wobble signal and a tracking error signal are generated based on an output of the detector, and the wobble signal is sampled according to the tracking error signal. A determination about whether the detector is at the groove track or the land track is made based on the tracking error signal and a comparison of sampled values of the wobble signal.

Abstract: The invention relates to an optical data carrier which combines a CD layer with at least one further format, such as a DVD layer for example. If a hybrid data carrier of this kind is to be produced in a thickness of less than 1.7 mm, and preferably in a thickness of 1.5 mm or less, then, seen from the surface which is to be read from, the CD layer will normally be situated at a depth of considerably less than 1.1 mm, and the CD substrate therefore has to be thinned down. The quality of the reading signals obtained is increased by increasing the length of the optically readable structures of the CD layer in comparison with the values which are usual in this case. Because of the difficulties which certain CD players have in focussing when the substrates are thin, the refractive index of the disc material used is reduced from the figure for polycarbonate, at least in the case of the CD substrate, the recommended range being between 1.40 and 1.55.

Abstract: In a recording medium (1), read information is calculated with additional information as a coefficient and superior in quality to basic information. Namely, the read information contains a larger amount of information than the basic information. So, even if it is tried to record the read information as it is to any other recording medium, the recording medium should be a one having a sufficiently large capacity for storage of the read information. Thus, copy of recorded data in the recording medium (1) to any other recording medium is highly difficult.

Abstract: An information recording medium having at least a read only area and a recording and reproducing area is composed of at least: a substrate; a recording layer formed on the substrate so as to record and reproduce information; and a light transmission layer having transparency formed on the recording layer. The information recording medium is further characterized in that a wobbling groove corresponding to the read only area and another wobbling groove corresponding to the recording and reproducing area is formed on the substrate without overlapping with each other, the recording and light transmitting layers are continuously adhered over at least two areas of the read only area and the recording and reproducing area, reflectivity of the recording layer is more than 5%, and a push-pull signal output T3 reproduced from the read only area and another push-pull signal output T4 reproduced from the recording and reproducing area before recording satisfies relations of T3?0.1, T4?0.1 and 1.5?T3/T4?0.5.

Abstract: An optical information reproducing method of reproducing multivalued information recorded on a track of an optical information medium having a recording/reproducing region, which has virtual cells arranged thereon at regular spacings. The multivalued information is recorded thereon by changing a length of an information pit in a track direction or an area of the information pit in a cell with the use of a light spot. The multivalued information is reproduced by detecting the level of a multistage reproduced signal from the information pit. The method includes sampling a reproduced signal in the multivalued information recorded in one cell with an M-value (M<N), which is arranged at each of the plurality of cells recorded with an N-value (N?3) on the track, and detecting a cell center value.

Abstract: When a method for increasing density by providing a tracking guide such as a land/groove and introducing a plurality of strings of super-resolution pits into one track thereof is applied to a reproduction-dedicated optical disk, there are problems in that the production cost is increased, the structure is complicated, and the space which can be used for a recording pits is narrowed because of the land/groove structure. In the invention, a concept of group tracking is applied. One track is formed by a plurality of pit strings having a size not greater than the optical resolution limit in the radial direction and a size not less than or not greater than the optical resolution limit or only not greater than the optical resolution limit in the tangential direction.

Abstract: A recording medium, such as a high-density and/or read-only recording medium, such as BD-ROM, which includes an identification information, which can identify whether optional information, such as copy protection information, is needed or not for the playback of contents stored on the recording medium, and to methods and apparatuses for forming, recording, and reproducing data on the recording medium.

Abstract: A recording medium, such as a high-density and/or read-only recording medium, such as BD-ROM, which includes an identification information, which can identify whether optional information, such as copy protection information, is needed or not for the playback of contents stored on the recording medium, and to methods and apparatuses for forming, recording, and reproducing data on the recording medium.

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: The present invention is structured so that a track of a recording medium is divided into a carrier wave area that is continuously wobbled by a carrier wave wobble of a specific carrier wave cycle, and an address area that is wobbled by a special wobble that has a cycle different from the carrier wave wobble and a phase determined in response to data 0 and data 1 of information stored by a wobble.

Abstract: Plural grooves or lands formed in an information recording carrier include at least a wobbling region and data is recorded wobblingly in this wobbling region by phase shift modulation while recorded digitally with a single or multiple waves as a channel bit.

Abstract: An information recording medium 1 at least comprises a substrate 13 having a microscopic pattern 20, which is constituted by a shape of continuous substance of approximately parallel grooves formed with a groove section G and a land section L alternately, a recording layer 12 formed on the microscopic pattern 20 and a light transmission layer 11 formed on the recording layer. The microscopic pattern 20 is formed so as to satisfy a relation of P<?<NA and a thickness of the light transmission layer 11 is within a range of 0.07 to 0.12 mm, wherein P is a pitch of the groove section G or the land section L, ? is a wavelength of reproducing light beam and NA is a numerical aperture of an objective lens. Further, there provided an information recording medium, which is improved in cross erase and recorded in high density, and a reproducing apparatus and a recording apparatus for the information recording medium.

Abstract: An information recording medium 1 at least comprises a substrate 13 having a microscopic pattern 20, which is constituted by a shape of continuous substance of approximately parallel grooves formed with a groove section G and a land section L alternately, a recording layer 12 formed on the microscopic pattern 20 and a light transmission layer 11 formed on the recording layer. The microscopic pattern 20 is formed so as to satisfy a relation of P<?<NA and a thickness of the light transmission layer 11 is within a range of 0.07 to 0.12 mm, wherein P is a pitch of the groove section G or the land section L, ? is a wavelength of reproducing light beam and NA is a numerical aperture of an objective lens. Further, there provided an information recording medium, which is improved in cross erase and recorded in high density, and a reproducing apparatus and a recording apparatus for the information recording medium.

Abstract: In an optical disk including at least a rewritable phase change material and comprising a recording layer having a reflectivity of more than 15%, an address output value as an address pit signal component occupying in a reproduced signal in a non recording state is prescribed to be 0.18 though 0.27 or a numerical aperture of an address pit signal occupying in a reproduced signal in a non recording state is prescribed to be more than 0.3.

Abstract: A substrate in which a minute ruggedness structure including columnar projections is formed in a track shape is prepared. The pitch of the columnar projections of the ruggedness structure is set such that a plurality of the columnar projections is within a beam spot. A flat portion is disposed between adjacent tracks. A reflecting layer is formed on the substrate. The flat portion becomes a mirror surface because of the formation of the reflecting layer. The reflectance of the ruggedness structure becomes significantly lower than the reflectance of the flat portion. When the ruggedness structure is irradiated with high-power laser light, a portion of the ruggedness structure is raised to a reflecting layer side and flattened. At this time, reflectance of the raised portion becomes higher than reflectance of a non-raised portion. When a track including the ruggedness structure is irradiated with high-power pulse laser light, signal recording based on a change in reflectance is possible.

Abstract: A super resolution medium (1) is provided with an information signal region (11) where a content, such as a video or audio content, is recorded and a test read region (12) where reproduction setting value adjustment information is recorded for adjusting a setting value for reproduction. A shortest mark length on a first prepit row formed in the information signal region (11) is shorter than a length of an optical system resolution limit of a playback apparatus. The types of mark lengths, recorded in the test read region (12), on the second prepit row for adjusting the setting value are the same as part or all types of mark lengths on the first prepit row. Further, the second prepit row includes a prepit having a mark length shorter than the length of the optical system resolution limit of the payback apparatus. Still further, each of the first and second prepit rows has at least three types of mark lengths.