Optical recording medium and a method of manufacturing the same

Abstract

Constructed is an optical recording medium which is so formed as to have excellent surface flatness and with respect to which information is recorded or reproduced with the use of a near-field optical system. The optical recording medium is one which performs at least one of recording and reproduction of information by irradiation of light. The optical recording medium has a substratewhich has fine concavities and convexitiesformed on the surface on a side where irradiation of light is performed, and a formed film layer having at least a recording layer and having a fine concavities and convexities surface reflecting the fine concavities and convexitiesin itself. The optical recording medium also has a light transmission flattenable filmwhich is so formed on the formed film layer as to have the fine concavities and convexities surface buried therein, and the surface of which is polished and which has a single-layer or a multi-layer structure having a hardness enabling the film to be polished, has a transmission characteristic with respect to the irradiated light to thereby permits transmission of a light irradiated with respect to this optical recording medium.