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Mutsuo Takenaga

Noboru Yamada

Kenichi Nishiuchi

Masatoshi Takao

Nobuo Akahira

Kunio Kimura

The invention is directed to an optical recording member including a thin film photosensitive layer provided on a base. The thin film photosensitive layer may vary between a low optical density state and a high optical density state when optical energy is applied thereto. This thin film photosensitive layer contains a first element which may be a metal or semimetal, a second element which is at least one selected from Te, Ge, Sn, Al, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Mo, Rh, Pd, Ag, Cd, In, Ta, W, Pt, Au, Tl, Pb, Si, Sb, Bi, and an oxygen element. Part of the oxygen element is bonded with the first element to form its oxide. The ratio x of the total number of atoms of the oxygen element to that of the first element, when the maximum valence of the first element in a stable oxide state is n, is according to the relation of 0&lt;x&lt;n/2. At least part of the second element exists in a non-oxide state. This thin film photosensitive layer is formed by a vacuum deposition or sputtering method. By irradiating the optical recording medium with light, information may be recorded or recorded information may be erased.

Optical recording medium and method of optical recording and erasing

An optical information recording medium comprising a substrate and a photosensitive thin layer consisting of Te, O and Pd. When exposed to optical energy, this thin layer is capable of undergoing a phase change by which an optical transmittance is changed. The addition of Pd results in an improvement of a response time to a great extent. This optical information recording medium is preferably made by a method using a Pd evaporation source and another source for Te+TeO.sub.2.

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Katano-shi, Osaka-fu 573-0053, Japan

Mutsuo Takenaga