Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
162 words
A method of designing a phase-change recording medium having a recording layer comprising an alloy comprising at least Ge, Sb and Te in which phase-change occurs reversibly between a crystalline state and an amorphous state in accordance with the intensity of an irradiated beam and a substrate for supporting the recording layer, and conducting recording, erasing and reading of information by irradiation of beam, wherein the intensity ratio of a reflection wave to an incident wave at the interface of the recording layer on the beam incident side in a case where the recording layer is in a crystalline state and in an amorphous state (Rra: in a case where the recording layer is in an amorphous state, Rrc: in a case where the recording layer is in a crystalline state) simultaneously satisfy the following equation (1), equation (2) and equation (3): (1) Rra - Rrc ≧ -0.2 (2) Rra - 0.9 × Rrc ≦ 0.05 (3) Rra + Rrc ≧ 0.18
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
122 words
A phase-change recording medium having a recording layer comprising an alloy comprising at least Ge, Sb and Te in which phase change occurs reversibly between a crystalline state and an amorphous state in accordance with the intensity of an irradiated beam and a substrate for supporting the recording layer, and conducting recording, erasing and reading of information by irradiation of beam, wherein an interface reflection control layer constituted with a material having a refractive index n and an extinction coefficient k simultaneously satisfying the following equation (4), equation (5) and equation (6) is disposed at the interface of the recording layer on the beam incident side: (4) k ≧ 0.22n + 0.14 (5) k ≦ 0.88n - 0.19 (6) n ≦ 2.8
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
210 words
A phase-change recording medium having a recording layer comprising an alloy comprising at least Ge, Sb and Te in which phase change occurs reversibly between a crystalline state and an amorphous state in accordance with the intensity of an irradiation of beam and a substrate for supporting the recording layer, and conducting recording, erasing and reading of information by irradiation of beam, wherein interface reflection control layers are disposed just beneath and just above the recording layer, a first interface reflection control layer disposed on the beam incident side of the recording layer is constituted with a material having a refractive index ni 1 and an extinction coefficient ki 1 simultaneously satisfying the following equation (7), equation (8) and equation (9), and a second interface reflection control layer disposed on the side of the recording layer opposite to the beam incident side is constituted with a material having a refractive index ni 2 and an extinction coefficient ki 2 simultaneously satisfying the following equation (10), equation (11), and equation (12): (7) Ki 1 ≧ 0.15 ni 1 (8) Ki 1 ≦ 0.6 ni 1 (9) ni 1 ≦ 3.0 (10) Ki 2 ≧ 0.35 (11) Ki 2 ≦ 1.06 ni 2 + 0.25 (12) Ki 2 ≧ ni 2 -3.8
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
54 words
A phase-change recording medium as defined in claim 2 or 3, wherein the interface reflection control layer is constituted with at least one material selected from the group consisting of oxide, sulfide, nitride, carbide and fluoride of metal, semimetal or semiconductor, which is a non-stoichiometric compound deficient in oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, carbon and fluorine.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
46 words
A phase-change recording medium as defined in claim 2 or 3, wherein the interface reflection control layer comprises a non-stoichiometric compound deficient in sulfur in zinc sulfide, a non-stoichiometric compound deficient in nitrogen in aluminum nitride, or a non-stoichiometric compound deficient in carbon in silicon carbide.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
49 words
A phase-change recording medium as defined in any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein a protection layer comprising a dielectric material is disposed between the interface reflection control layer disposed in adjacent with the interface of the recording layer on the laser beam incident side and a substrate.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
77 words
A phase-change recording medium as defined in any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein a heat diffusion layer comprising aluminum nitride, boron nitride, silicon nitride, titanium nitride, carbon, silicon carbide, titanium carbide, tantalum carbide, tungsten carbide, aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, zirconium boride, MoSi 2 , metal, semimetal or semiconductor is disposed between the interface reflection control layer disposed in adjacent with the interface of the recording layer on the laser beam incident side and the substrate.