Metal alloys for the reflective or the semi-reflective layer of an optical storage medium

An optical storage medium, comprising:

• a substrate having a pattern of features in at least one major surface;
• a high reflective layer adjacent the feature pattern, the high reflective layer including a metal alloy, said metal alloy including silver and gold wherein the relationship between the amounts of silver and gold is defined by AgxAuy where 0.9<x<0.999 and 0.001<y<0.10, and wherein said metal alloy further comprises an alloying metal selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, osmium, iridium, platinum, beryllium and mixtures thereof, and wherein said alloying metal is present from about 0.01 a/o percent to about 5.0 a/o percent of the amount of silver present.

An optical storage medium, comprising:

• a substrate having a pattern of features in at least one major surface;
• and
• a high reflective layer adjacent the feature pattern, the high reflective layer including a metal alloy, said metal alloy including silver and palladium wherein the relationship between the amounts of silver and palladium is defined by AgxPdt where 0.85<x<0.999 and 0.001<t<0.15, and wherein said metal alloy further comprises an alloying metal selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, osmium, iridium, platinum, beryllium and mixtures thereof, and wherein said alloying metal is present from about 0.01 a/o percent to about 5.0 a/o percent of the amount of silver present.

An optical storage medium, comprising:

• a substrate having a pattern of features in at least one major surface;
• a high reflective layer adjacent the feature pattern, the reflective layer including a metal alloy, said metal alloy including silver, gold, and palladium wherein the relationship between the amounts of silver, gold, and palladium is defined by AgxAuyPdt where 0.75<x<0.998, 0.001<y<0.10, and 0.001<t<0.15, and wherein said metal alloy further comprises an alloying metal selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, osmium, iridium, platinum, beryllium and mixtures thereof, and wherein said alloying metal is present from about 0.01 a/o percent to about 5.0 a/o percent of the amount of silver present.

An optical storage medium, comprising:

• a first substrate having a pattern of features in at least one major surface;
• a first reflective layer adjacent the feature pattern, the reflective layer including a metal alloy, said metal alloy including silver and an alloying metal selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, osmium, iridium, platinum, beryllium and mixtures thereof, and wherein said alloying metal is present from about 0.01 a/o percent to about 10.0 a/o percent of the amount of silver present.

An optical storage medium, comprising:

• a first substrate having a pattern of features in at least one major surface;
• a first reflective layer adjacent the feature pattern, the reflective layer including a metal alloy, said metal alloy including silver and beryllium wherein the relationship between the amount of silver and beryllium is defined by AgxBev where 0.9<x<0.9999 and 0.0001<v<0.1, and wherein said metal alloy further comprises an alloying metal selected from the group consisting of copper, gold, ruthenium, osmium, iridium, palladium, rhodium, platinum, and mixtures thereof, and wherein said alloying metal is present from about 0.01 a/o percent to about 10.0 a/o percent of the amount of silver present.

An optical storage medium, comprising:

• a substrate having a pattern of features in at least one major surface;
• and
• a reflective layer adjacent the feature pattern, the reflective layer including a metal alloy, said metal alloy including copper and silver wherein the relationship between the amounts of copper and silver is defined by CumAgn where 0.95<m<0.9999 and 0.0001<n<0.05, said metal alloy also including an alloying metal selected from the group consisting of cadmium, gold, magnesium, aluminum, nickel, beryllium, zirconium, and mixtures thereof and where the amount of alloying metal is no more than 15 atomic percent, and where the amount of copper is no less than 85 atomic percent.

An optical storage medium, comprising:

• a substrate having a pattern of features in at least one major surface;
• and
• a reflective layer adjacent the feature pattern, the reflective layer including a metal alloy, said metal alloy including copper and cadmium wherein the relationship between the amounts of copper and cadmium is defined by CumCdo where 0.85<m<0.9999 and 0.0001<o<0.15, said metal alloy also including an alloying metal selected from the group consisting of silver, gold, magnesium, aluminum, nickel, beryllium, zirconium, and mixtures thereof and where the amount of alloying metal is no more than 15 atomic percent, and where the amount of copper is no less than 85 atomic percent.

An optical storage medium, comprising:

• a substrate having a pattern of features in at least one major surface;
• and
• a reflective layer adjacent the feature pattern, the reflective layer including a metal alloy, said metal alloy including copper and gold wherein the relationship between the amounts of copper and gold is defined by CumAup where 0.7<m<0.9999 and 0.0001<p<0.30, said metal alloy also including an alloying metal selected from the group consisting of silver, cadmium, magnesium, aluminum, nickel, beryllium, zirconium, and mixtures thereof and where the amount of alloying metal is no more than 15 atomic percent, and where the amount of copper is no less than 85 atomic percent.

An optical storage medium, comprising:

• a substrate having a pattern of features in at least one major surface;
• and
• a reflective layer adjacent the feature pattern, the reflective layer including a metal alloy, said metal alloy including copper and magnesium wherein the relationship between the amounts of copper and magnesium is defined by CumMgq where 0.9<m<0.9999 and 0.0001<q<0.10, and said metal alloy also including an alloying metal selected from the group consisting of silver, cadmium, gold, aluminum, nickel, beryllium, zirconium, and mixtures thereof and where the amount of alloying metal is no more than 15 atomic percent, and where the amount of copper is no less than 85 atomic percent.

An optical storage medium, comprising:

• a substrate having a pattern of features in at least one major surface;
• and
• a reflective layer adjacent the feature pattern, the reflective layer including a metal alloy, said metal alloy including copper and aluminum wherein the relationship between the amounts of copper and aluminum is defined by CumAlr where 0.8<m<0.9999 and 0.0001<r<0.20, and said metal alloy also including an alloying metal selected from the group consisting of silver, cadmium, gold, magnesium, nickel, beryllium, zirconium, and mixtures thereof and where the amount of alloying metal is no more than 15 atomic percent, and where the amount of copper is no less than 85 atomic percent.

An optical storage medium, comprising:

• a substrate having a pattern of features in at least one major surface;
• and
• a reflective layer adjacent the feature pattern, the reflective layer including a metal alloy, said metal alloy including copper and nickel wherein the relationship between the amounts of copper and nickel is defined by CumNis where 0.87<m<0.9999 and 0.0001<s<0.13, and said metal alloy also including an alloying metal selected from the group consisting of silver, cadmium, gold, magnesium, aluminum, beryllium, zirconium, and mixtures thereof and where the amount of alloying metal is no more than 15 atomic percent, and where the amount of copper is no less than 85 atomic percent.

An optical storage medium, comprising:

• a substrate having a pattern of features in at least one major surface;
• and
• a reflective layer adjacent the feature pattern, the reflective layer including a metal alloy, said metal alloy including copper and beryllium wherein the relationship between the amounts of copper and beryllium is defined by CumBej where 0.90<m<0.9999 and 0.0001<j<0.10.

An optical storage medium, comprising:

• a substrate having a pattern of features in at least one major surface;
• and
• a reflective layer adjacent the feature pattern, the reflective layer including a metal alloy, said metal alloy including copper and zirconium wherein the relationship between the amounts of copper and zirconium is defined by CumZrk where 0.90<m<0.9999 and 0.0001<k<0.10.