Patent ID: 6031794
Filing Date: 2000-02-29
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
A method of reading out a magneto-optical recording medium which includes a magnetically coupled first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer formed on said first magnetic layer and a third magnetic layer formed on said second layer, and has information recorded by forming in said third magnetic layer a first region inverted in the magnetization direction from a first direction to a second direction and a second region maintaining the first direction in said third magnetic layer; the method comprising the steps of:irradiating the magneto-optical recording medium with light beam so as to form a temperature distribution in a relative movement of the medium and the light beam;applying a magnetic field in the second direction to a region which is not irradiated with the light beam, so as to align the magnetization directions of said first magnetic layer and second magnetic layer in a region where the temperature is lower than that of a information readout temperature region specified by the temperature distribution; andreading out the information in said information readout temperature region.