Phase-change recording material used for information recording medium and information recording medium employing it

Abstract

A phase-change recording material used for an information recording medium utilizing a crystalline state as a non-recorded state and an amorphous state as a recorded state, which has the composition of the following formula (1) as the main component: (Sb1−xSnx)1−y−w−zGeyTewM1z  formula (1) wherein each of x, y, z and w represents atomicity, x, z and w are numbers which satisfy 0.01≦x≦0.5, 0≦z≦0.3 and 0≦w≦0.1, respectively, and the element M1 is at least one element selected from the group consisting of In, Ga, Pt, Pd, Ag, rare earth elements, Se, N, O, C, Zn, Si, Al, Bi, Ta, W, Nb and V, and (I) when z=0 and w=0, y is a number which satisfies 0.1≦y≦0.3, (II) when 0<z≦0.3 and w=0, y is a number which satisfies 0.05≦y≦0.3, and (III) when 0≦z≦0.3 and 0<w≦0.1, y is a number which satisfies 0.01≦y≦0.3.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.