Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi Maxell, Limited

Junko Nakamura

Ryo Suzuki

Norio Ohta

Fumiyoshi Kirino

Yoshinori Miyamura

Masafumi Yoshihiro

Masahiko Takahashi

Yukinori Yamada

A magneto-optical recording medium comprises in combination: a magneto-optical recording layer capable of writing or erasing information by a laser beam and an external magnetic field and of reading the information by a Kerr effect; and a substrate having the magneto-optical recording layer formed thereon. The magneto-optical recording layer has at least two layers, including a first magneto-optical recording layer and a second magneto-optical recording layer which are magnetically coupled together. The first magneto-optical recording layer is a layer providing a greater magneto-optical effect in a short light wavelength range than the second magneto-optical recording layer though that having less perpendicular magnetic energy than this, as is provided on an irradiation side of the laser beam. It provides advantages in both the magneto-optical effect and perpendicular anisotropy in consideration of the thicknesses or compositions of the first and second magneto-optical recording layers.

Magneto-optical recording medium and method

An optical recording/ reproducing method which is characterized by irradiating a magnetic material having a perpendicular anisotropy with a laser beam to cause a change in the perpendicular anisotropy in the magnetic material to a non-perpendicular anisotropy thereby to record information; and by reproducing the information by detecting a change in a magneto-optic effect such as the Kerr effect. Also disclosed are an optical recording material and an optical recording device for use in the optical recording/reproducing method.

Optical recording/reproducing by changing perpendicular magnetic

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Kokubunji, Japan

Junko Nakamura