Record carrier having servo-track portions and sector addresses having the same predetermined width

Claim 1

A record-carrier comprising a substrate and a recording layer thereon having a plurality of substantially parallel recording tracks performed therein on which information can be recorded by scanning with a write beam of radiation, said tracks having a predetermined track period (P r ), each track comprising a relief structure of servo-track portions alternating with sector addresses in the track direction, each sector address including optically detectable areas separated by intermediate areas so as to signify address information for a sector of a track; the servo-track portions and sector addresses producing different phase depths of reflected radiation when a track is scanned by a read beam of radiation; characterized in that: said servo-track portions and said optically detectable areas of the sector addresses of each track have the same maximum width W m in a direction transverse to the track, the value of said maximum width W m being the same for all tracks; the ratio of said maximum width W m to said track period P r has the same constant value for all tracks; the reflected radiation produced from each sector address by said read beam is adapted for integral detection so as to produce an address signal signifying address information, and the reflected radiation produced from each servo-track portion by said beam is adapted for differential detection so as to produce a tracking signal signifying positioning errors of said read beam with respect to such servo-track portion; and the value of said maximum width W m exceeds 1/2P r and is less than approximately 3/4P r , thereby achieving adequate signal strength of both said differential tracking signal and said integral address signal.