Optical recording medium

Abstract

A rewritable phase change type optical recording medium having excellent in storage durability such as archival property and overwrite shelf property and is less likely to have increased jitters, lower contrast and bursting due to deterioration by repeated overwriting is disclosed. The optical recording medium comprises a first dielectric layer, a first boundary layer and a recording layer, in tis order, wherein the first boundary layer is in contact with the recording layer. The information in the optical recording medium can be recorded, erased and reproduced by irradiating the recording layer with light. The recording and erasure of information are affected by reversible phase change between amorphous phase and crystalline phase of the recording layer. The first boundary layer comprises a material comprising an oxide, a carbide, a nitride of one or more elements (excluding carbon) belonging to a group 3A through group 6B of the 2 period through the 6 period in the periodic table; carbon; or a compound with carbon and oxygen and/or nitrogen.