Magneto-optical recording medium

A magneto-optical recording medium comprising a first magnetic layer formed on a substrate, a second magnetic layer formed over said first magnetic layer and a third magnetic layer formed over said second magnetic layer, said magnetic layers made of rare-earth-transition metal alloys, wherein:

• said first magnetic layer has a perpendicular magnetization in a temperature range between room temperature and its Curie temperature;
• said second magnetic layer made of GdFeCo is structured such that its Curie temperature is higher than the Curie temperature of said first magnetic layer, coercive force thereof at room temperature is substantially zero, and that it has an in-plane magnetization at room temperature and a transition occurs therein from the in-plane magnetization to a perpendicular magnetization at above a predetermined temperature;
• and
• said third magnetic layer is structured such that its Curie temperature is higher than the Curie temperature of said first magnetic layer and lower than the Curie temperature of said second magnetic layer, coercive force thereof at room temperature is smaller than the coercive force of said first magnetic layer, and that it has a perpendicular magnetization in a temperature range between room temperature and its Curie temperature.