Erasable, reusable optical recording element and method

An erasable, reusable information bearing record element comprising a support having thereon the following layers in the following order:

• (a) a smoothing layer;
• (b) a metal reflection layer;
• and
• (c) an information bearing optical recording layer;
• characterized in that the record bearing optical recording layer
• (i) is a amorphous layer of a dye and a binder;
• (ii) has an absorption factor of at least 20 at a first wavelength and is substantially transparent at a second wavelength;
• (iii) has a plurality of deformations each of which comprise a hole or depression;
• and
• (iv) has a transparent ceramic overcoat having a thickness greater than 0.05 .mu.m up to 0.1 .mu.m.

A method of erasing a recording element comprising the steps of:

• providing an information bearing record element in which the information is encoded in information tracks in the form of heat deformations in a heat-deformed optical recording layer;
• and
• applying sufficient heat to the information record element to smooth out the heat deformations forming the information tracks;
• characterized in that the optical recording layer;
• (a) is an amorphous layer of a dye and a binder;
• (b) has an absorption factor of at least 20 at a first wavelength and is substantially transparent at a second wavelength;
• (c) is capable of being thermally deformed by a beam of high energy density radiation of the first wavelength to form a deformation comprising a hole or depression;
• and
• (d) has a transparent ceramic overcoat having a thickness greater than 0.05 .mu.m up to 0.1 .mu.m and
• the heat is applied by selectively focusing one or more beams of high energy density radiation, which is absorbed by the optical recording layer, on the particular information track(s) or portion of track(s) to accomplish at least partial erasure.

An erasable, reusable recording element comprising a support having thereon a heat-deformable optical recording layer characterized in that the optical recording layer

• (a) is an amorphous layer of a dye and a binder;
• (b) has an absorption factor of at least 20 at a first wavelength and is substantially transparent at a second wavelength;
• (c) is capable of being thermally deformed by a beam of high energy density radiation of the first wavelength to form a deformation comprising a hole or depression;
• and
• (d) has a transparent ceramic overcoat having a thickness greater than 0.05 .mu.m up to 0.1 .mu.m.

An erasable, reusable information bearing record element comprising a support having thereon a record bearing heat-deformed optical recording layer characterized in that the record bearing optical recording layer

• (a) is an amorphous layer of a dye and a binder;
• (b) has an absorption factor of at least about 20 at a first wavelength and is substantially transparent at a second wavelength;
• (c) has a plurality of deformations each of which comprise a hole or depression surrounded by a sharply defined ridge;
• and
• (d) has a transparent ceramic overcoat having a thickness greater than 0.05 .mu.m up to 0.1 .mu.m.