Information-recording medium

An information-recording medium comprising a substrate, a recording layer provided on the substrate, said recording layer changing in atomic arrangement upon irradiation with a recording energy beam, and a reflective layer which is provided on the side of the recording layer reverse to the side irradiated with the recording energy beam, wherein said recording layer and said reflective layer are contiguous to each other and diffusion of atoms from the recording layer to the reflective layer and/or from the reflective layer to the recording layer occurs upon irradiation with a recording energy beam, wherein said recording layer has an average composition represented by the following formula:

• A.sub.w D.sub.x Sb.sub.y Se.sub.z
• wherein w, x, y and z are in the range of 0.ltoreq.w.ltoreq.30, 3.ltoreq.x.ltoreq.57, 3.ltoreq.y.ltoreq.57 and 40.ltoreq.z.ltoreq.90 in atomic percent, D represents at least one element of Sn, In, Ge, Pb, Si, Bi, Ga and Au, and A represents at least one element other than Sb, Se and the elements represented by D;
• and wherein said recording layer has a thickness of 5 to 500 nm and said reflective layer has a thickness of 10 to 500 nm.

An information-recording medium according to claim 22, wherein E in the formula represents Sn.