Optical recording medium

Abstract

An optical recording medium including a substrate which transmits light, which has a main surface, and which has a groove defined in the main surface; a recording layer formed on the main surface; and a metal reflection layer formed on the recording layer, wherein the recording layer is a thin film comprised of organic dye, contains at least one cyanine dye represented by general formula (I) as a main constituent, and is capable of corresponding to short-wavelength laser beam: ##STR1## where X- represents an iodide ion, a bromide ion, a perchlorate ion, a borofluoride ion, a tetrafluorophosphate ion, a tetrafluoroantimonate ion, a methylsulfate ion or a methylbenzenesulfonate ion; one of R.sub.1 or R.sub.2 represents a C.sub.3-18 substituent having an unsaturated bond, and another one of R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 represents a C.sub.3-18 substituent having one of an unsaturated bond, an alkyl group, an aryl group or an alkoxy group; Y.sub.1 and Y.sub.2 respectively represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an aryl group, an alkoxy group, a halogen atom, a nitro group, a hydroxyl group, a carboxyl group, a --OCF.sub.3 group, a hydroxyalkyl group, a cyanovinyl group, an alkylcarbonyl, a carboxyalkyl group, an alkylcarbonyl, or a residue which is condensed with a benzene ring to form an optionally substituted naphthalene ring; n and m respectively represent an integer ranging from 1 to 4; and (Y.sub.1)n and (Y.sub.2)m respectively represent structures which are asymmetric each to one other in the cyanine dye module.