Optical recording system

Abstract

Abstract PURPOSE:To permit multiple-value recording and the recording of larger information quantity per writing spot by multiple-valuing the directions where liquid crystal groups are arranged in recording, rewriting and erasing the information. CONSTITUTION:A writing laser beam 1 is irradiated to a recording medium 2 installed on a rotatable support and at the same time electric current is passed to coils 3, 4 for controlling the orientation direction installed near the top (or bottom) surface of the recording medium to impress a magnetic field to a high-polymer liquid crystal layer which is the recording layer of the recording medium 2 and to orient the liquid crystal. Information is recorded to the spot parts 4 irradiated with the laser beam when the medium is cooled after the irradiation of the beam is ceased. The orientation direction of the high-polymer liquid crystal can be controlled by controlling the direction of the magnetic field in this stage, by which the multiple-value recording is realized. The multiple-valuing is determined by the control of the orientation direction. For example, the arranging direction is assumed to be N-directions, then the information quantity is the logarithm of which the base is 2; therefore, the information quantity for each one writing spot is log2N bits an the information quantity can be increased log2N-fold by determining the arranging direction at the N-directions.

Inventors

• 👤 Toyoichi Nakamura
• 👤 中村　豊一
• 👤 Toshihiko Ueno
• 👤 上野　敏彦

Bibliographic Details