Optical recording medium and optical recording method therefor

Abstract

A write once medium having a phase change recording layer is provided. In this medium, stable recorded state and high crystallizability of the recording layer are simultaneously realized. The optical recording medium has a recording layer 4 comprising at least one phase change layer 41 and at least one functional layer 42 in contact with the phase change layer. The component constituting the phase change layer 41 and the component constituting the functional layer 42 undergoes a reaction to produce a reaction product when the phase change layer 41 is heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of the phase change layer 41, and the area where the reaction product has formed experiences decrease in its optical reflectivity, and the optical reflectivity after such decrease is maintained even if the area wherein the reaction product has formed is heated to the crystallization temperature of the phase change layer.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.