Optical information recording medium capable of recording in lands and grooves without a track-jumping operation; optical information recording/reproducing apparatus using, and master disk exposure apparatus for producing the same

An optical information recording medium is provided which enables recording of information alternately in a land and a groove of a track, without requiring a track jumping operation. The medium has a plurality of tracks each including a land and a groove, and a mirror section which divides each track in the circumferential direction of the disk. The land and the groove are consecutively formed across the mirror section, so as to form the track. An optical information recording/reproducing apparatus using the medium and a master disk exposure apparatus for producing the medium are also disclosed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a disk-type optical information recording 
medium capable of recording optical information, as well as to an optical 
information recording/reproducing apparatus which performs either one or 
both of recording and reproducing operations using the optical information 
recording medium. The invention also is concerned with a master-disk 
exposure apparatus for use in the production of the optical information 
recording medium. 
2. Description of the Related Art 
Hitherto, various systems have been proposed and used for optically 
recording and/or reproducing information. 
The recording media employed in these systems are broadly grouped according 
to recording/reproducing method into three types: ROM (read-only), WOROM 
(overwrite) and R/W (rewritable). Each of these media employs a substrate 
made of a transparent material such as glass or polycarbonate, and various 
materials are applied or deposited on the substrate so as to provide 
functions of the above-mentioned three types. More specifically, a ROM 
type medium is obtained by depositing, on the substrate, a substance 
having high reflectivity and superior thermal stability, such as Al. A 
WOROM type medium is obtained when the material on the substrate exhibits 
capacity for irreversible reaction, such as, for example, organic 
colorants. A medium of R/W type is realized by using a material which 
magnetically or thermally exhibit reversible change, as is the case of a 
magnetic material or a phase-changeable material which can change from, 
for example, a crystalline state to an amorphous state and vice versa. 
Optical information recording media also can be sorted according to 
configuration into disk-type media, card-type media and tape-type media. 
These types of optical information medium have their own advantages so 
that they are selected according to the use. Among these types of optical 
information recording media, disk-type media are most popular because of 
the speed of data transmission. 
When a disk-type recording medium is used, data is recorded along a 
circumferential paths having predetermined lengths and such paths are 
referred to as a "data track" or simply as a "track". In case of a 
disk-type information recording medium, the data track can have the form 
of concentric circles or spiral form. From the view point of continuity of 
data transfer, however, it is preferred to use a spiral track, 
particularly when a large volume of data is to be handled. 
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional disk-type optical information recording 
medium having a spiral track. 
Referring to FIG. 1, a disk 100 has guide grooves 103a to 103c spirally 
formed in the upper surface thereof, such that lands 102a and 102b are 
left between adjacent spiral grooves 103a to 103c. 
In this optical information recording medium, the grooves or the 
inter-groove portions (lands) are used as data tracks along which a light 
beam for recording/reproducing information moves so as to record or 
reproduce information in and from the tracks, whereby a large volume of 
data can be handled without discontinuity. In recent years, a technique 
referred to as land/groove recording technique has been developed, in 
order to cope with the demand for greater data handling capacity. 
According to this technique, information is recorded both in the groove 
and on the lands, whereby the recording capacity is doubled. 
FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a tracking servo system for use in an 
information recording/reproducing apparatus of the type which uses the 
optical information recording medium of FIG. 1 as a land/groove recording 
disk and capable of performing recording in accordance with the aforesaid 
groove/land recording technique. 
Referring to FIG. 2, an optical head 122 associated with a disk 100 has an 
objective lens 122a, an optical system 122b, a light source 122c and a 
sensor 122d. The tracking servo system further includes an AT error signal 
generating circuit 123, a polarity change-over device 128, a phase 
compensator 129, a switch 130, a control circuit 131, an adder circuit 
132, an actuator driver 133, and an actuator 134 which actuates the 
objective lens 122a so as to move this lens. 
The disk 100 has lands and grooves formed in the surface thereof. 
Information is recorded in and reproduced from both the lands and the 
grooves. 
The objective lens 122a is a pickup lens disposed to oppose the recording 
surface of the disk 100. A focus servo circuit and a focus actuator which 
are not shown are operative to control the position of the objective lens 
122a such that light emitted from the objective lens 122a is constantly 
focused in the recording surface of the disk 100. 
The light from the light source 122c is condensed through the optical 
system 122b and the objective lens 122a so as to form a spot of a 
predetermined diameter on the recording surface of the disk 100. The light 
reflected from the recording surface is again transmitted through the 
objective lens 122a so as to be converged on the sensor 122d which 
converts the light intensity into an electrical signal. 
The AT error signal generating circuit 123 generates a tracking error 
signal based on the electrical signal output from the above-mentioned 
sensor. A known tracking error detecting method such as push-pull method, 
3-beam method and so forth can be employed for the purpose of detecting 
any tracking error. 
A polarity change-over device 128 performs change-over of later-mentioned 
polarity of the tracking error sinal generated by the AT error signal 
generating circuit 123. The polarity change-over device 128 is controlled 
by a control circuit 131 which also will be described later. 
The phase compensator 129 performs phase compensation to stabilize the 
servo in response to the tracking error signal after change-over of the 
polarity performed by the polarity change-over device 128. The output line 
of the phase compensator 129 is connected to one of the input terminals of 
the adder circuit 132 through the switch 130 which operates under the 
control of the control circuit 131. 
The adder circuit 132 has two input terminals to one of which the output 
line of the phase compensator 129 is connected through the switch 130 as 
stated above, while the other is connected to the output line of the 
control circuit 131 the output of which is delivered to the actuator 
driver 133. 
The output signal from the adder circuit 132 is delivered to the actuator 
driver 133 which operates to convert this signal into an electric current 
signal in accordance with which the AT actuator 134 is driven to move the 
objective lens 122a. 
The control circuit 131 includes a CPU which performs various controls such 
as control of turning on and off of the tracking servo and control of the 
movement of the objective lens 122a towards a target track, as well as the 
control of switching of the tracking error signal polarity performed by 
the polarity change-over device 128. The control of turning on and off of 
the tracking servo is effected by controlling turning on and off of the 
switch 130. The control of movement of the objective lens 122a towards a 
target track is performed by generating, while holding the switch 130 off, 
acceleration pulses for effecting shifting of the objective lens 122a 
towards the target track, and delivering such pulses to the adder 132. The 
change-over of polarity of the tracking error signal performed by the 
polarity change-over device 128 is conducted based on the position of the 
information track to be used for recording or reproduction, in accordance 
with the result of determination as to whether the track is a groove or a 
land. 
A brief description will be given of the operation of the tracking servo 
system. 
Light from a light source 122c is condensed through the optical system 122b 
and the objective lens 122a so as to be focused on the recording surface 
of the disk 100, thus forming a beam spot of a predetermined diameter. The 
light in the form of a spot is reflected so as to pass again through the 
objective lens 122a and is converged on the sensor 122d so as to be 
changed into an electrical signal. The electrical signal is delivered to 
the AT error signal generating circuit 123. 
Upon receipt of an electrical signal from the sensor 122d, the AT error 
signal generating circuit 123 generates a tracking error signal based on 
the received electrical signal. FIG. 3 shows waveform of the tracking 
error signal generated by the AT error signal generating circuit 123 when 
the light spot is moved radially inward from an outer peripheral region 
across the lands and grooves on the recording medium of the type shown in 
FIG. 1, under such a condition that the focusing servo alone is operative, 
while the tracking servo is inoperative. 
As will be understood from FIG. 3, when the light spot is moved radially 
inward across consecutive lands and grooves, the tracking error signal has 
the form of a sine wave which, for example, rises and crosses zero level 
at the moment at which the beam spot impinges upon the groove 103a and 
falls to cross the zero level again when the spot is on the center of the 
adjacent land 102a, the curve then rises and crosses the zero level when 
the spot passes the adjacent groove 103b. It is thus understood that the 
polarity of the tracking error signal is inverted depending on whether the 
beam spot is on the groove or on the land. It is therefore necessary to 
switch the polarity of the tracking error signal depending on whether a 
groove or a land is used for the recording/reproduction of information. In 
the illustrated arrangement, the switching of the tracking error signal is 
executed in the following manner. 
The tracking error signal generated in the AT error signal generating 
circuit 123 is delivered to the polarity change-over device 128. The 
control circuit 131 discriminates, based on address information, whether 
the track to be used for the recording (or reproduction) is a land or a 
groove, and controls the polarity change-over operation of the polarity 
change-over device 128 in accordance with the result of the 
discrimination. As a consequence, the polarity change-over device 128 
conducts the change-over of the tracking error signal, based on whether 
the track is a groove or a land. 
The tracking error signal after the change-over of polarity performed by 
the polarity change-over device 128 is delivered to the phase compensation 
device 129 for phase compensation, and the resultant signal is delivered 
to the actuator driver 133 through the switch 130 and the adder circuit 
132. 
The actuator driver 133 converts the tracking error signal received from 
the phase compensator 129 into an electrical current signal which drives 
the AT actuator 134. 
The apparatus is ready for recording (or reproduction) of information upon 
completion of the tracking servo control which is executed in the manner 
described above. 
When recording or reproduction is to be executed on a different track, the 
switch 130 is turned off by the control circuit 131. The above-described 
tracking servo becomes inoperative due to turning off of the switch 130. 
The control circuit 131 generates acceleration pulses in accordance with 
which the objective lens 121 is moved towards the target track, and these 
pulses are delivered to the actuator driver 133 through the adder 132. 
The actuator driver 133 drives the AT actuator 134 based on the 
acceleration pulses received from the control circuit 131. As a 
consequence, the objective lens 122a is moved to focus the target track. 
Upon detecting that the movement of the objective lens 122a to the target 
track is completed, the control circuit 131 turns switch 130 on again, so 
that the above-described tracking servo control is commenced again. 
The known optical information recording medium and information 
recording/reproducing apparatus using the same encounters the following 
problems. 
Hitherto, in recording information on the optical information 
recording/reproducing apparatus in accordance with the land/groove 
recording technique, data to be recorded in the land portion and the data 
to be recorded in the groove portion are handled separately. Therefore, 
the volume of data handled continuously at one time is the same as that in 
conventional systems, although the recording or storage capacity has been 
increased to a value twice as large that in the conventional systems. It 
is thus impossible to meet the demand for higher operation speed of the 
system. 
This problem will be discussed in more detail. 
Recording of a large volume of data in the optical information recording 
medium of the type shown in FIG. 1 is conducted, by moving the objective 
lens 122a radially inward starting from the peripheral region or vice 
versa. For instance, steps are followed sequentially, such as turning off 
of the tracking servo, change-over of the tracking polarity, moving the 
objective lens to the land 102a, turning the tracking servo on, followed 
by recording of data, turning off of the tracking servo, switching of the 
polarity of tracking, moving the objective lens to focus the groove 103b, 
and turning the tracking servo on again, followed by recording of data. 
Thus, the continuity of the recording/reproducing operation is seriously 
impaired, because the groove/land polarity change-over operation and a 
track jump operation have to be executed each time the recording is 
finished with one track or over one full rotation of the disk. 
An alternative way of recording is such that recording is performed without 
jumping operation such that data is recorded in the land 102a and then in 
the land 102b and, when the land portion has been fully occupied, the 
polarity of the tracking signal is changed so as to commence recording in 
the groove portion starting from the groove 103a, followed by recording in 
the groove 103b and so forth. In this case, however, the optical head is 
required to travel a large radial distance from the land at which the 
recording in the land portion terminates to the groove with which the 
recording in the groove portion is to be commenced, due to the large 
radial distance between these lands and grooves. Accordingly, this 
recording method fails to meet the requirement for higher speed of 
operation. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An object of the present invention is to provide an optical information 
recording medium which permits alternate recording or reproduction in 
consecutive lands and grooves, by a simple polarity change-over operation, 
without requiring a track jumping operation. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide an optical 
information recording/reproducing apparatus using such a recording medium. 
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a master disk 
exposure apparatus which is used in the production of the recording 
medium. 
To these ends, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is 
provided a disk-type optical information recording medium having a 
plurality of tracks each including a land and a groove. The medium 
includes a mirror section which divides each of the tracks in the 
circumferential direction of the disk, wherein the land and the groove are 
consecutively formed across the mirror section. 
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an 
optical information recording/reproducing apparatus for executing at least 
one of recording of information in and reproduction of information from a 
disk-type optical information medium having a plurality of tracks each 
including a land and a groove which are formed consecutively across a 
mirror section. The apparatus includes an optical head for irradiating the 
track on the recording medium with a light beam; a tracking error signal 
generating circuit for generating a tracking error signal based on the 
output from the optical head; a mirror section detecting circuit for 
producing a mirror section detection signal upon detection of the mirror 
section; a polarity change-over device for switching the polarity of the 
tracking error signal in response to the mirror section detection signal; 
and a servo circuit for effecting a tracking servo control of the light 
beam based on the tracking error signal of the polarity switched by the 
polarity change-over device. 
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is 
provided an optical information recording/reproducing method for executing 
at least one of recording of information in and reproduction of 
information from a disk-type optical information medium having a plurality 
of tracks each including a land and a groove which are formed 
consecutively across a mirror section. The method includes the steps of 
irradiating a track on the medium with a light beam; generating a tracking 
error signal based on the light of the beam reflected by the medium; 
detecting the mirror section; switching the polarity of a tracking error 
signal in accordance with the result of detection of the mirror section; 
and performing a tracking control of the light beam based on the tracking 
signal of the switched polarity. 
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a 
master disk exposure apparatus for use in fabrication of a master disk of 
an optical information recording medium. The apparatus includes a driving 
mechanism for rotatingly driving a glass master disk with a photosensitive 
material applied thereto; an exposure system for irradiating the glass 
master disk with a laser beam to expose the photosensitive material; a 
traverse feed mechanism for moving the exposure system or the driving 
mechanism in such a manner as to cause a radial movement of the spot of 
the laser beam relative to the glass master disk; a demodulating circuit 
for performing binary coding of the intensity of the laser beam; a 
modulation period determining circuit for determining the period F of 
intensity modulation of the laser beam performed by the modulating circuit 
based on the period T of rotation of the glass master disk. The period F 
meets the following condition: 
EQU F=2T/(2n-1) 
(n being a natural number). 
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention 
will become clear from the following description of the preferred 
embodiments when the same is read in conjunction with the accompanying 
drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with 
reference to the accompanying drawings. 
First Embodiment 
FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) are illustrations of a first embodiment of the optical 
information recording medium in accordance with the present invention in 
which FIG. 4(a) is a schematic illustration of a track formed on the 
recording surface of a disk, while FIG. 4(b) is an enlarged view of a part 
of the track shown in FIG. 4(a). 
Referring to these Figures, a disk 1 has been fabricated by forming, on a 
light-transmitting substrate having a pre-groove formed therein and made 
of, for example, a polycarbonate, a protective layer and a recording 
layer. Substantially spiral discontinuous grooves 3a to 3c have been 
formed to extend in the circumferential direction of the disk, such that 
lands 2a and 2b are formed between adjacent grooves. The discontinuities 
of the grooves are aligned along a radial line, and these aligned 
discontinuities provide a mirror section which is denoted by 4. The 
grooves 3a to 3c and the lands 2a, 2b form a track. More specifically, the 
terminal end of the groove 3a is followed by the starting end of the land 
2a across the mirror section 4. Likewise, connections across the mirror 
section 4 are made between the terminal end of the land 2a and the 
starting end of the groove 3b, between the terminal end of the groove b 
and the starting end of the land 2b, and between the terminal end of the 
land 2b and the starting end of the groove 3c, whereby a spiral track is 
of formed. Although single tracks represented by the grooves 3a to 3c and 
lands 2a, 2b are shown, a greater number of such tracks are formed on the 
disk 1. 
In the optical information recording medium described above, the mirror 
section 4 has a circumferential length which is small enough to ensure 
that the servo remains without coming off but large enough to accommodate 
the spot of the pickup light beam so as to prevent the spot from bridging 
the grooves. The mirror section 4 provides a distinctively greater value 
of a later-mentioned sum signal than other sections. A 90.degree. spatial 
phase deviation is created between the land and between the grooves, 
across this mirror section 4. 
The mirror section 4 is intended to provide the following effects (1) to 
(3): 
(1) When the beam spot is moved from a groove to the adjacent land across 
the mirror section, any noise to the pickup light, generated by the end 
edge of the groove, can be dissipated when the beam spot moves across the 
mirror section. 
(2) Polarity of the tracking error signal has to be switched when the beam 
spot which has traced a land starts to trace a groove. Detection of the 
mirror section gives a cue to the control for the switching of the 
polarity. 
(3) The time required for the beam spot to travel across the mirror section 
can be used as the time which is necessary for the operation to switch the 
polarity of the tracking error signal. 
A description will now be given of the operation for recording and 
reproducing information in and from this disk 1. 
For the purpose of simplification of explanation, the land 2a is termed as 
a track n, and the adjacent grooves 3a and 3b are respectively termed as 
tracks n-1 and n+1. Likewise, the land 2b adjacent to the groove 3b is 
termed as a track n+2 and the groove 3c as a track n+3. 
It is assumed here that the disk starts to rotate clockwise, while the beam 
spot is located at a position (referred to as "starting end") which is the 
portion of the track n on the left side of the mirror section 4 as viewed 
in FIG. 4(a). Consequently, a relative movement is caused between the disk 
1 and the beam spot so that the beam spot traces the track n 
counterclockwise. After about 360.degree. rotation of the disk, the beam 
spot is located at a position (referred to as "terminal end") on the end 
edge of the track n which is on the right side of the mirror section 4. 
In this embodiment, the circumferential length of the mirror section 4 has 
been determined so as not to cause the servo to come off the control, so 
that the beam spot moves substantially linearly across the mirror section 
as the disk 1 further rotates. As a consequence, the beam spot which has 
entered the mirror section 4 from the edge of the track n on the right 
side of the mirror section 4 (terminal end) linearly moves into the 
starting end of the track n+1 which is on the left side of the mirror 
section 4. A further rotation of the disk causes the beam spot to shift 
from the track n+1 to the track n +2. Thus, in the optical information 
recording medium of this embodiment, the beam spot can alternately and 
consecutively trace successive land and groove, without requiring a track 
jump operation. It is therefore possible to handle a large volume of data 
at a high speed, while enjoying the merit of the land/groove recording 
technique. 
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the construction of an example of the 
tracking servo system used in an information recording/reproducing 
apparatus of the invention which performs recording and reproduction of 
information in and from the optical information recording medium shown in 
FIG. 4. 
Referring to FIG. 5, an optical head 22 associated with a disk 1 has an 
objective lens 22a, an optical system 22b, a light source 22c and a sensor 
22d. The tracking servo system further includes an AT error signal 
generating circuit 23, a sum signal generating circuit 24, a peak hold 
circuit 25, potential-dividing resistors 26a and 26b, a binary coding 
circuit 27, a polarity change-over device 28, a phase compensator 29, a 
switch 30, a control circuit 31, an adder circuit 32, an actuator driver 
33, an actuator 34 and a toggle flip-flop 35. 
The disk 1 is an optical information recording medium of the type shown in 
FIG. 4. Data is recorded in and reproduced from both the lands and the 
grooves formed in the recording surface of the disk 1. 
The components such as the objective lens 22a, optical system 22b, light 
source 22c, sensor 22d, AT signal generating circuit 23, polarity 
change-over device 28, phase compensator 29, switch 30, control circuit 
31, adder circuit 32, actuator driver 33 and the actuator 34 are the same 
as those employed in the conventional apparatus described before in 
connection with FIG. 2, so that a detailed description of these components 
is omitted. In the conventional apparatus shown in FIG. 2, the change-over 
of the tracking error signal is conducted by the polarity change-over 
device 28 under the control of the control circuit which determines 
whether the track in which data is to be recorded or from which data is 
read is a groove or a land, based on the address information pertaining to 
the track. In this embodiment, however, a later-mentioned polarity 
change-over control section also takes part in the control of switching of 
the polarity. In addition, in the following description, the output from 
the AT error signal generating circuit 23 will be referred to as a 
"tracking error signal (a)", while the output from the polarity 
change-over device 28 will be referred to as a "tracking error signal 
(f)". 
The polarity change-over control section controls the polarity switching 
operation performed by the polarity change-over device 28. This section 
includes the sum signal generating circuit 24, peak hold circuit 25, 
potential-dividing resistors 26a, 26b, binary circuit 27 and the toggle 
flip-flop 35. 
Each of these components of the polarity change-over section will be 
described in detail. 
The sum signal generating circuit 24 generates a sum signal (b) based on 
the electrical signal output from the sensor 22d. The manner of summing 
performed by the sum signal generating circuit varies according to the 
tracking system employed. For instance, when a push-pull type tracking 
system is employed, the sum is obtained as the sum of outputs from the two 
sections of a split photo-detector or from four sections of a quadrant 
photodetector. The sum signal (b) output from the sum signal generating 
circuit 24 is delivered to the peak hold circuit 25 and also to one of 
input lines of the binary-coding circuit 27. 
The peak hold circuit 25 is adapted to hold the peak value of the received 
sum signal. The output from the peak hold circuit 25 is delivered to the 
other input line of the binary coding circuit 27 via the 
potential-dividing resistors 26a, 26b. The potential-dividing resistor 26a 
has one end connected to the output line of the peak hold circuit 25 and 
the other end connected to the above-mentioned other input line of the 
binary coding circuit 27. The above-mentioned other end of the resistor 
26a is connected to one end of the potential-dividing resistor 26b, the 
other end of which is grounded. The peak value of the sum signal delivered 
by the peak hold circuit 26 is appropriately divided by the 
potential-dividing resistors 26a, 26b to form a DC level signal (c) which 
is delivered to the binary coding circuit 27. 
One of the input lines of the binary coding circuit 27 receives the sum 
signal (b) coming from the sum signal generating circuit 24, while the 
other input line of the same receives the DC level signal (c) which is 
transmitted thereto through the potential-dividing resistors 26a, 26b. The 
binary coding circuit 27 compares these two inputs and generates a binary 
signal (d) which triggers the toggle flip-flop 35. 
The toggle flip-flop 35, triggered by the binary signal (d) delivered by 
the binary coding circuit 27, generates a polarity change-over control 
signal (e) which controls the polarity switching operation performed by 
the polarity change-over device 28. Thus, the polarity is changed-over by 
the polarity change-over device 28 based on the polarity change-over 
control signal (e) derived from the toggle flip-flop circuit 35. 
A description will now be given of the operation of the information 
recording/reproducing apparatus, for each of a seeking operation and a 
tracing operation. 
(1) Seeking operation 
FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b)(1)-6(b)(6) are diagrammatic illustrations of an 
information recording/reproducing apparatus. FIG. 6(a) shows the manner in 
which a beam spot has moved radially inward from an outer peripheral 
region, starting from a groove 3a to reach a land 2d, across lands and 
grooves, under such a condition that the focusing servo alone is 
operative, i.e., when the tracking servo is not operative. FIGS. 
6(b)(1)-6(b)(6) are waveform charts showing waveforms of the tracking 
error signal (a) (FIG. 6(b)(1)), sum signal (b) (FIG. 6(b)(3)), DC level 
signal (c) (FIG. 6(b)(2)), binary signal (d) (FIG. 6(b)(4)), polarity 
change-over control signal (e) (FIG. 6(b)(5)), and the tracking error 
signal (f) (FIG. 6(b)(6)), as obtained in accordance with the movement of 
the beam spot shown in FIG. 6(a). 
To simplify explanation, an assumption is made here that the direction of 
the component of velocity of the beam spot relative to the track, along 
the disk radius, does not change across the mirror section 4. The 
arrangement may be such that the radial component of velocity of the beam 
spot relative to the track is nullified at the very moment when the beam 
spot is on the mirror section 4. Such an arrangement is within the scope 
of the present invention. 
A description will be given first of the waveforms of the above-mentioned 
signals as obtained when the beam spot is moved in the radial direction 
across the land/groove, from a spot position 1 to a spot position 4. 
The tracking error signal (a) derived from the AT error signal generating 
circuit 23 rises to cross the zero level at the spot position 1 and falls 
to cross the zero level at the spot position 2. The signal (a) rises again 
to cross the zero level at the spot position 3 and falls to cross the zero 
level at the spot position 4. Thus, the tracking error signal (a) has a 
regular periodic (sine) waveform. 
The sum signal (b) provided by the sum signal generating circuit 24 also 
has a sine waveform. This waveform exhibits minimum value at the beam 
position where the rising tracking error signal (a) crosses the zero level 
and maximum value at the beam position where the falling tracking error 
signal (a) crosses the zero level. The level of the sum signal (b) remains 
below the level of the DC level signal (c) when the beam spot is above a 
land or a groove. The DC level signal (c) is formed by the 
potential-dividing resistors 26a, 26b from the signal delivered by the 
peak hold circuit 25, so that the binary coding circuit 27 outputs a 0 
(zero)-level signal as the binary signal (d) when the beam spot is above a 
land or a groove. Since the binary signal (d) from the binary circuit 27 
is kept at "0" while the beam spot passes from beam position 1 to beam 
position 4, the polarity change-over control signal (e), output from the 
toggle flip-flop 35, also is held at "0" during this period. 
As described, the polarity change-over device 28 does not perform the 
polarity change-over operation, as long as the polarity change-over 
control signal (e) from the toggle flip-flop circuit 35 is kept at "0". 
Consequently, the polarity remains without switching. Consequently, the 
tracking error signal (a) from the AT error signal generating circuit 23 
is outputted as it is, as the tracking error signal (f). 
A description will now be given of the signal waveforms as obtained when 
the beam spot is moved across the mirror section 4 from the beam position 
4 to the beam position 7. 
The level of the tracking error signal (a) output from the AT error signal 
generating circuit 23 is lowered to "0" when the beam spot passes the 
mirror section 4. At the same time, when the beam spot moves across the 
mirror section, the phase of the tracking error signal (a) is shifted 
180.degree. in accordance with the phase difference between the lands. As 
a consequence, the waveform of the tracking error signal exhibits a 
180.degree. phase shift (inversion) at the beam spot position 
corresponding to the mirror section 4, as will be seen from FIG. 6(b)(1). 
When the beam spot is on the mirror section 4, the beam spot does not 
infringe upon the adjacent grooves. Therefore, in this case, the level of 
the sum signal (b) output from the sum signal generating circuit 24 is not 
affected by diffraction and, hence, is higher by an amount corresponding 
to the effect of diffraction than that of the sum signal (b) obtained at 
the spot points 2 and 4 where the beam infringes adjacent grooves to 
suffer from the effect of diffraction. Consequently, the level of the sum 
signal (b) obtained when the beam spot is on the mirror section 4 exceeds 
the level of the DC level signal (c) formed by the potential-dividing 
resistors 26a, 26b from the output of the peak hold circuit 25. Thus, the 
level of the sum signal (b) exceeds the level of the DC level signal (c) 
only when the beam spot is on the mirror section 4, as will be seen from 
FIGS. 6(b)(2) and 6(b)(3). 
After the beam spot has left the mirror section 4, the sum signal (b) 
follows a sine curve which takes the minimum value when the rising 
tracking error signal (a) crosses the zero level and the maximum value 
when the falling tracking error signal (a) crosses the zero level. 
The foregoing description is based on an assumption that, as in ordinary 
substrates, the reflectivity of the lands is greater than that of the 
grooves. In the actual substrate of land/groove recording type, curves of 
clear sine forms as shown in FIGS. 6(b)(1)-6(b)(6) may not be obtained, 
because the width ratio between the land and the groove is set to about 
1:1, in order to obtain uniform quality of the recorded signal. What is 
important, however, is the fact that the reflectivity of the mirror 
section 4 is greater than those of other portions so that the mirror 
section 4 is detected as a change in the level of the sum signal (b), 
rather than the fact that a certain amplitude of the sum signal is 
obtained. 
Upon receipt of the above-mentioned sum signal (b) from the sum signal 
generating circuit 24, the binary coding circuit 27 produces a binary 
signal (b) the level of which varies as follows. Namely, when the beam 
spot is moving on the mirror section 4, the level of the sum signal (b) 
exceeds the level of the DC level signal (c), so that a signal of "1" 
level is output as the binary signal (d) and, after the beam spot has left 
the mirror section 4, "0" is again continuously outputted as the binary 
signal (d), since the level of the sum signal (b) is always held below the 
level of the DC level signal (c) except when the beam spot is on mirror 
section 4. 
Upon receipt of the binary signal (d) from the binary coding circuit 27, 
the toggle flip-flop 35 operates, being triggered by the rise of the 
binary signal (d), so as to change the level of the polarity change-over 
control signal (e) from "1" to "1". 
In response to the "1" level of the polarity change-over control signal (e) 
from the toggle flip-flop 35, the polarity change-over device 28 performs 
change-over of the polarity, so as to invert the tracking error signal (a) 
output from the AT error signal generating circuit 23, and the thus 
inverted signal is output as the tracking error signal (f). Once the 
polarity is changed, the polarity is maintained until "1" is output as the 
binary signal (d). As a consequence, the tracking error signal (f) without 
phase discontinuity across the mirror section 4 is obtained as shown in 
FIG. 6(b)(6). 
In this embodiment, the spatial phase shift (180.degree. deviation) of the 
tracking error signal caused when the beam spot is moved across the mirror 
section 4 is compensated for, because the polarity of the tracking error 
signal is switched by the polarity change-over device 28 which operates in 
response to the signal indicative of detection of the beam spot passing 
the mirror section 4, so as to provide the waveform of the tracking error 
signal (f) having no phase discontinuity. Thus, counting of the number of 
the tracks in, for example, a seeking operation can be conducted by a 
conventional method, without requiring use of any special algorithm. 
The polarity change-over device 28 receives a control signal also from the 
control circuit 31, so that the beam spot can be moved between lands and 
between grooves without passing the mirror section. 
Waveforms of signals have been described on an assumption that the tracking 
servo has not been put to effect. In an ordinary tracing operation, 
however, tracking servo control is executed simultaneously with the 
seeking operation. The tracking servo control can be performed by using a 
circuitry which is similar to that described above and capable of 
detecting the mirror section. The polarity of the tracking error signal is 
switched in response to detection of the mirror section, so that the 
tracking error signals are smoothly connected without discontinuity when 
the beam spot is moved from a land to an adjacent groove and from a groove 
to an adjacent land. A brief description will be given as to the tracing 
operation. 
(2) Tracing operation 
It is assumed here that the light spot is at the spot position 1 on the 
groove 3a shown in FIG. 6(a) and the level of the polarity change-over 
control signal (e) has been set to "0". The beam spot then moves along the 
groove 3a and enters the land 2a across the mirror section 4. The 
operation performed in this case is as follows. 
When the beam spot is at the beam position 1 in the groove 3a, the level of 
the tracking error signal (a) derived from the AT error signal generating 
circuit 23 is "0". It is assumed here that the polarity change-over device 
28 has been set to provide the polarity which is used when the track is a 
groove. 
The beam spot moves in the circumferential direction along the groove 3a so 
that it radially deviates from the spot position 1 which is on the center 
of the track. This deviation cause a change in the tracking error signal 
(a), and the tracking control is performed based on the change in the 
tracking error signal (a). 
By way of example, it is assumed here that the beam spot is deviated 
radially inward of the disk, with the result that the level of the 
tracking error signal (a) is changed to "0.1 V". The tracking error signal 
of 0.1V is delivered to the actuator driver 33 through the phase 
compensator 29, switch 30 and the adder circuit 32. The actuator driver 33 
converts the received tracking error signal into an electric current which 
drives the AT actuator 34, thereby shifting the objective lens radially 
outward, i.e., towards the center of the track. This operation is repeated 
so that the tracking is performed. 
When the beam spot is moved under the described tracking control, the 
following changes are caused in the tracking error signal (a), sum signal 
(b), DC level signal (c), binary signal (d), polarity change-over control 
signal (e) and the tracking error signal (f). 
The beam spot moves along the groove 3a to enter the mirror section 4. As a 
consequence, the level of the sum signal (b) derived from the sum signal 
generating circuit 24 exceeds the level of the DC level signal (c), so 
that a signal of the level "1" is output as the binary signal (d) from the 
binary circuit 27. 
Upon receipt of the binary signal (d) of the "1" level from the binary 
circuit 27, the toggle flip-flop 35, being triggered by the rise of the 
binary signal (d), operates to change the level of the polarity 
change-over control signal (e) from "0" to "1". 
The change of the level of the polarity change-over control signal (e) from 
"0" to "1" causes the polarity change-over device 28 to switch the 
polarity of the tracking error signal from the polarity for grooves to the 
polarity for lands. Thus, the tracking error signal (a) from the AT error 
signal generating circuit 23 is inverted and output as the tracking error 
signal (f). Thus, a change in the level of the polarity change-over 
control signal (e) is triggered by the value of the sum signal (b) 
indicative of the beam spot moving on the mirror section 4, thereby 
causing the polarity change-over device 28 to switch the polarity of the 
tracking error signal. 
For instance, when the spot which has passed the mirror section 4 has been 
offset radially inward as in the foregoing description, the error signal 
takes the level of "-0.1 V", because the spatial phase difference of 
180.degree. exists between the land traced by the beam spot before the 
latter enters the mirror section 4 and the groove which is going to be 
traced by the beam spot. However, since the polarity has been switched as 
result of detection of the beam spot passing the mirror section 4, a 
tracking error signal of "0.1 V" is obtained after the switching of 
polarity, whereby an accurate tracking servo control is performed. 
As will be understood from the foregoing description, when the beam spot 
moves from a land onto a groove and from a groove onto a land across the 
mirror section 4, the passage of the beam spot over the mirror section 4 
is detected so as to trigger the change-over of the polarity of the 
tracking error signal from the polarity for lands to the polarity for 
grooves and vice versa, thus allowing a smooth transition from the tracing 
of a land to the tracing of a groove and from a groove to a land. 
A technique has been known for stabilizing start-up of a tracking servo 
based on a track crossing signal and the beam spot velocity in the track 
crossing direction. Accurate detection of velocity can be performed in 
this case, by using the tracking error signal (f) obtained through 
change-over of polarity. 
As will be understood from the foregoing description, the optical 
information recording medium of this embodiment makes it possible to store 
a large volume of information without impairing high speed of data 
transfer. This advantage can equally be enjoyed with all types of optical 
information recording media including ROM, WORM and R/W mentioned before, 
and can be achievable not only with disk-shaped media but also with media 
having a different shape, e.g., a card, provided that the data tracks are 
in a spiral form. 
Furthermore, by using the tracking servo system as described, it is 
possible to obtain a high-speed, large-capacity information 
recording/reproducing apparatus, by making full use of the advantages of 
the above-described optical information recording medium. 
Second Embodiment 
FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of the optical information recording 
medium in accordance with the present invention. 
This optical information recording medium has three mirror sections 4a, 4b 
and 4c which are equi-spaced in circumferential direction, each being the 
same as the mirror section 4 shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b). In operation, a 
beam spot which has traced, for example, a groove starts to trace a land 
after transition across the mirror section 4a and, after passing the 
mirror section 4b, commences tracing of a groove with switching of the 
polarity of tracking error signal. The polarity is switched again as the 
beam spot crosses the mirror section 4c so as to start tracing of a land. 
The beam spot then reaches the mirror section 4a as a result of further 
rotation of the disk, and the polarity switches again when the beam spot 
crosses the mirror section 4a. It is thus possible to trace consecutive 
lands and grooves alternately per each rotation of the disk. 
The first embodiment described before employs a single mirror section, 
while the second embodiment employs three. As will be readily understood 
from these illustrations, the first and second embodiments are only 
illustrative and the invention can be realized when the arrangement is 
such that the beam spot encounters an odd number of mirror sections during 
one rotation of the disk. 
Regardless of the number of the mirror sections, the information 
recording/reproducing apparatus can be most conveniently be realized by 
arranging such that the switching of tracking polarity is triggered by 
detection of passage of the beam spot over each mirror section, through 
sensing the level of the sum signal (b), because this method of detection 
of the mirror section is simplest and most reliable. This method of 
polarity change-over, however, is not exclusive and various other methods 
are usable. 
For instance, when the mirror sections are aligned along a radial line or 
lines as in the first and second embodiments, the detection of the mirror 
section or sections is performed through sensing a mark which is provided 
on the radially outer or inner end of the above-mentioned radial line or 
lines along which the mirror sections are aligned, so as to indicate the 
position or positions of the mirror sections. The mark may be a tiny piece 
of a material having an optical constant, e.g., reflectivity, different 
from that of the medium material or may be presented by locally changing 
the configuration of the substrate. In such a case, the information 
recording/reproducing apparatus is equipped with a mirror section detector 
sensitive to the above-mentioned mark, provided separately from the 
tracking beam system, and the polarity of the tracking error signal is 
switched in response to an output signal from the mirror section detector. 
It is thus possible to obtain a high-speed, large capacity disk of the 
present invention. 
Third Embodiment 
FIG. 8 schematically shows the construction of a third embodiment of the 
optical information recording medium in accordance with the present 
invention. 
Referring to FIG. 8, sector header portions are denoted by 5a and 5b. In 
order to facilitate administration of data recorded in the information 
recording medium, the entire storage area of the medium is divided into a 
plurality of blocks each having a capacity of several hundred to several 
kilo bytes. Each such block is referred to as a "sector". Each sector is 
composed of a header portion and a data portion which follows the header 
portion. In operation, the information recording/reproducing apparatus 
makes access to a target position based on the position of the sector, 
track number and so forth recorded in the sector header, in order to 
record or reproduce information in and from the data portion which follows 
the accessed header portion. Thus, the sector header and the data which 
follows the sector header are handled as a unitary data block. 
In the first and second embodiments of the optical information recording 
medium, the beam spot essentially crosses an edge of a groove when it 
leaves a mirror section 4 or when it enters the mirror section. Therefore, 
if a mirror section exists in the data bit region of the header portion or 
in the data portion of a sector, i.e., if the train of data bits is 
interrupted by the mirror section, noise which is generated when the beam 
spot moves across the groove edge may be introduced to the data recorded 
in or reproduced from the data bits to cause an error, thus hampering 
recording and reproduction of data. 
In order to obviate this problem, in the information recording medium of 
this embodiment, the mirror portion 4 is disposed between sectors which 
neighbor each other in the tracking direction. Neither recording nor 
reproduction is performed when the beam spot is on the mirror section. It 
is thus possible to carry out the invention while avoiding undesirable 
effect of groove edge noise which otherwise may be caused during recording 
and reproduction. 
Although the optical information recording medium shown in FIG. 8 has only 
one mirror section, the invention does not exclude provision of a 
plurality of mirror sections which are spaced in a circumferential 
direction, for the same reason as stated before in connection with the 
second embodiment. 
Fourth Embodiment 
FIG. 9 schematically shows the construction of a fourth embodiment of the 
optical information recording medium of the present invention. 
In the optical information recording medium of this embodiment, each sector 
header portion has a mirror section. For example, sector header portions 
7a and 7b have mirror sections 6a and 6b, respectively. The sector header 
portion stores various kinds of information in accordance with a 
predetermined format, and a mirror section, which switches spatial phase 
between a land and a groove, is intentionally included in the format. 
Recording and reproduction of information can be performed without being 
affected by the presence of the mirror section, provided that an algorithm 
or rule is beforehand implemented such that recording of information is 
not conducted when the beam spot is on the mirror section. In this case, 
the above-mentioned rule is preferably determined such that recording of 
information is not executed in the regions of grooves adjacent to the 
mirror section. 
In this embodiment, each sector has its own mirror section. It is therefore 
possible to use the mirror section for other purposes than the switching 
of spatial phase. For instance, the tracking error signal obtained when 
the beam spot crosses the mirror section can be used for the purpose of 
removal of offset. 
It is to be understood, however, that the present invention essentially 
requires that the number of the mirror sections appearing in one full 
rotation of the disk is an odd number. This embodiment may be carried out 
in accordance with a ZCAV (Zoned Constant Angular Velocity) technique in 
which the number of sectors is progressively changed in the 
circumferential direction of the disk so as to increase the storage 
capacity. In such a case, each zone preferably includes an odd number of 
sectors. However, there may be cases where an even number of sectors are 
employed, in order to obtain as large a storage capacity as possible. In 
such a case, it is advisable to provide or omit mirror sections only in 
selected sectors so that the total number of the mirror sections is an odd 
number. 
In the case where the mirror section is intended to be used also for 
another purpose such as removal of offset, it is essential to provide a 
mirror section in each of the sectors. In such a case, an arrangement is 
made such that the inversion of spatial phase between a land and a groove 
across the mirror section is not performed in a selected sector, so that 
the inversion of the spatial phase takes place an odd number of times 
during one full rotation of the disk. In such an arrangement, however, it 
is necessary that a special mark is provided on such a selected sector so 
as to discriminate this sector, and to provide on the information 
recording/reproducing apparatus a suitable sensor capable of sensing such 
a special mark. 
The optical information recording medium of the invention described above 
enables full use of advantages possessed by CAV (Constant Angular 
Velocity) disks and the above-mentioned ZCAV disks in which storage area 
of the disk is divided in the radial direction into a plurality of zones 
and disk speed is increased when the beam spot is on a radially outer 
zone. By applying the invention to these types recording media, it is 
possible to obtain an optical information recording/reproducing apparatus 
which can handle a large volume of information at a high speed. 
Fifth Embodiment 
The fifth embodiment pertains to a formatting of the optical information 
recording medium of the invention which has been described. 
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the detail of the construction of an 
optical information recording/reproducing apparatus as the fifth 
embodiment of the present invention. In this Figure, components and 
elements which are the same as those in the foregoing description are 
denoted by the same reference numerals as those appearing in the foregoing 
description, and detailed description of function and operation is omitted 
with such components and elements. 
Preformat signal generating means 380 generates a preformat signal which is 
in phase with the binary signal (d) derived from the binary coding circuit 
27 described before. The preformat signal generating means includes a 
format generator 38 and a phase synchronization circuit (PLL circuit) 39 
both of which will be described in detail. 
The format generator 38 is a circuit which generates a preformat signal 
based on preformat information such as track addresses and sector 
addresses which are written beforehand in, for example, a ROM. Upon 
receipt of a formatting start instruction given by the control circuit 31, 
the format generator 38 delivers the generated preformat signal to the 
driver 39, in accordance with the binary signal (d). 
Meanwhile, the PLL circuit 39 receives the binary signal (d) from the 
binary coding circuit 27, and operates to achieve synchronization between 
the binary signal (d) and the preformat signal which is obtained from the 
format generator 38. FIG. 11 shows the construction of the PLL circuit 39. 
The PLL circuit 39 includes a phase comparator 40, a low-pass filter (LPF) 
41, a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) 42 and a demultiplying circuit 
43 each of which will be described in detail below. 
The VCO 42 is a clock generator which generates a synchronizing signal, VCO 
output signal (g), for achieving the synchronization between the binary 
circuit (d) and the preformat signal. The oscillation frequency of the VCO 
varies in accordance with a control voltage which is supplied externally. 
More specifically, the VCO oscillates at its natural frequency fc when the 
control voltage supplied externally is "0". The oscillation frequency 
varies around the natural frequency in accordance with a change in the 
control voltage. 
The demultiplying circuit 43 includes, for example, a counter, and 
demultiplies the output frequency of the VCO 42 to a value which equals to 
the value obtained by dividing the operation clock frequency of the format 
generator 38 by the rotation number of the disk, thereby producing a 
demultiplied signal (j) of a frequency that approximate the disk rotation 
frequency. 
The phase comparator 40 has one input line which receives the demultiplied 
signal (j) from the demultiplying circuit 43 and the other input line 
which receives the binary signal (d) from the binary coding circuit 27, 
and, by comparing the phases of these two kinds of signals, produces a 
pulse (h) of a pulse width corresponding to the time difference between 
the rises of these signals, together with a polarity signal (i) indicative 
of which one of the phases of these two signals is advanced. The absolute 
value of the pulse (h) and the polarity indicated by the polarity signal 
(i), which are outputted from the phase comparator 40, are supplied to the 
LPF 44. The LPP 44 feeds only a low-frequency component of the pulse (h) 
back to the aforesaid VCO 42, as the output signal (k). 
FIGS. 12(a)-12(f) illustrate the operation of the PLL circuit described 
above. More specifically, these figures show waveforms of the binary 
signal (d) at various components, as observed when a beam spot has been 
moved on a track across mirror sections 4a to 4c in accordance with 
rotation of the disk. 
When the beam spot crosses the mirror section 4a, the rising edge of the 
demultiplied signal (j) (shown in FIG. 12(b)) is delayed after or behind 
the rising edge of the binary signal (d) (shown in FIG. 12(c)), so that 
the phase comparator 40 produces a polarity signal (i) (shown in FIG. 
12(e)) of high level and a pulse (h) (shown in FIG. 12 (d)) of a width 
corresponding to the amount of delay. As a result, the LPF 41 produces an 
output +.increment. of positive polarity as its output signal (k) (shown 
in FIG. 12(f)). Consequently, the VCO increases its oscillation frequency 
by a small amount corresponding to +.increment.. 
The rise in the output frequency of the VCO causes a corresponding advance 
of the demultiplied signal (j) which is produced by the demultiplying 
circuit 43, so that, when the beam spot has reached the position of the 
mirror section 4b as a result of one full rotation of the disk, the timing 
of rising edge of the binary signal (d) is delayed slightly after the 
timing of the rising edge of the demultiplied signal (j). 
The delay of the binary signal (d) behind the demultiplied signal (j) 
causes the phase comparator 40 to produce the polarity signal (i) of low 
level and the pulse (h) of a width corresponding to the amount of delay, 
whereby the LPF 41 produces an output signal (k) of -.increment.. As a 
consequence, the oscillation frequency of the VCO 42 is slightly lowered 
by an amount corresponding to -.increment.. 
Thus, as a result of negative feedback of the phase difference between the 
binary signal (d) and the demultiplied signal (j), the phases of the 
binary signal (d) and the demultiplied signal (j) are synchronized and 
stabilized when the beam spot reaches the mirror section 4. The output 
signal (g) (shown in FIG. 12(a)) of the VCO obtained in this state is used 
as reference clock based on which the format generator 38 is driven, 
whereby the preformat signal produced by the format generator 38 is kept 
in synchronization with the binary signal (d). 
Numeral 37 denotes a driver which drives the light source 22c based on the 
preformat signal generated by the format generator 38. Obviously, when the 
system is of a magnetic field modulation type, the magnetic head is driven 
by the driver 37. A reproduction system 36 demodulates and reproduces the 
signal which is obtained through a photo-electric conversion performed by 
the sensor 22d. The signal reproduced by the reproduction system is 
delivered to the control circuit 31. 
The control circuit 31 used in this embodiment performs various functions 
such as a control of movement of the optical head 22 during the 
formatting, issue of a formatting start instruction, and verification of 
the recorded preformat signal based on the demodulated signal derived from 
the reproduction system 36. 
The verification of the recorded preformat signal is to confirm: (1) 
whether the preformat signal has been recorded in conformity with the 
information recorded in the ROM mentioned before; and (2) whether the 
preformat signal is not recorded in the mirror section. The confirmation 
(1) can be conducted by a known technique based on the demodulated signal 
derived from the reproduction system 36, while the confirmation (2) can be 
executed based on the demodulation signal from the reproduction system 36 
and the binary signal (d). 
A description will now be given of the formatting operation of this optical 
information recording/reproducing apparatus. 
When the disk 1 is mounted in the information recording/reproducing 
apparatus, the optical head 22 is moved to a position which corresponds to 
the innermost or outermost periphery of the track, by the operation of the 
control circuit 31. Whether the optical head is set to the outermost 
position or the innermost position is determined by the format of the 
recording to be performed on the disk. The description will proceed based 
on the assumption that the tracking is started from the outermost 
peripheral portion of the track. 
In general, optical head 22 of the information recording/reproducing 
apparatus of the kind described is set to the outermost peripheral 
position based on the output from an optical head position sensor, or 
located at that position by means of a mechanical stopper which is located 
at that position. A spindle motor is started without delay after mounting 
the disk, and focusing control is commenced to focus the optical head 22 
with respect to the rotating disk. 
As stated before, the mirror section of the optical disk used in this 
embodiment of the information recording/reproducing apparatus has a higher 
reflectivity than other portions, so that it is detectable even by the 
focusing servo control alone. It is therefore possible to start the 
operation of the PLL circuit 39, before the tracking servo control is put 
to effect. 
The control circuit 31, first of all, moves the optical head to the 
outermost peripheral position and issues an instruction for starting 
focusing servo control. When the PLL circuit 39 has been brought into 
synchronization with the binary signal (d) which indicates detection of a 
mirror section, the control circuit 31 operates to start the tracking 
servo control, and delivers a formatting start instruction to the format 
generator 38 without delay. 
Upon receipt of the formatting start instruction from the control circuit 
31, the format generator 38 delivers, without delay, the preformat signal 
to the driver 37 in accordance with the mirror section detection signal. 
The driver 37 drives the light source (or a magnetic head in case of a 
magnetic field modulation recording) based on the preformat signal 
received from the format generator 38. 
It is therefore possible to record the preformat signal in accordance with 
the detection of the mirror section, by controlling the driver 37 based on 
the clock output of the PLL circuit 39, i.e., the signal (g), and the 
binary signal (d). For instance, the preformat signal is recorded in such 
a manner that the leading end of a sector is on the trailing side of a 
mirror as viewed in the direction of rotation of the disk. 
The thus recorded preformat signal is reproduced by the operation of the 
optical head 22. Namely, the photo-electrically converted signal from the 
sensor 22d is demodulated by the reproduction system 36 so as to be 
delivered to the control circuit 31. 
Upon receipt of the demodulated signal, the control circuit 31 performs the 
aforesaid verification, i.e., confirmation as to whether the recorded 
preformat signal conforms with the information stored in the ROM and 
confirmation as to whether no part of the preformat signal has been 
recorded in the mirror section. 
In the foregoing description, the PLL circuit 41 is started after the start 
of the focusing servo control. The operation, however, may be such that 
the tracking servo control is started without delay after the start of the 
focusing servo control, and the optical head 22 is held on a certain track 
until the operation of the PLL circuit is stabilized. The tracing is 
commenced after the PLL circuit 39 has been synchronized, thus commencing 
the formatting. 
In the operation as described, the precision of the radial position on the 
disk at which the preformatting is commenced depends on the mechanical 
precision of the mechanism which locates the optical head at the outermost 
peripheral position. A higher precision of preformatting, however, is 
achievable by arranging such that the preformatting is commenced upon 
detection of a mark indicative of the outermost peripheral position, such 
as a mark distinguished by an optical constant, e.g., reflectivity, 
different from those of other portions. 
The foregoing description is based on an assumption that the recording 
medium employed has only one mirror section appearing during one full 
rotation of the disk. The described information recording/reproducing 
apparatus, however, can be used in combination with a recording medium of 
the type which has a plurality of mirror sections in one full turn of the 
track. For instance, it is possible to use an optical information 
recording/reproducing apparatus in which a plurality of lands and grooves 
are formed in a single track so as to appear alternately in the direction 
of disk rotation, with a mirror section formed between each land and the 
adjacent groove, the mirror sections being spaced such that the mirror 
section detection signals are produced at a constant period. In such a 
case, the demultiplication factor of the demultiplication of the output 
from the VCO 42 performed by the demultiplying circuit 43 is determined by 
further dividing, by the number of mirrors appearing per rotation of the 
disk, the value which is obtained by dividing the clock frequency from VCO 
42 by the number of rotations of the disk. The formatting is conducted in 
accordance with the synchronizing signals which are generated by the PLL 
circuit 39 while the polarity of the tracking error signal is switched 
each time the beam spot crosses the mirror section. In this case, the 
frequency of the binary signal (d) indicative of detection of mirror 
sections is increased. The pass-band of the LPF therefore may be raised 
correspondingly. This, however, does not cause any critical problem. 
It is also possible to use a recording medium of the type in which, in 
order to maximize the storage capacity, an even number of sectors are 
provided, wherein selected sectors are provided with, or are devoid of, 
the mirror section, so that the medium as a whole has an odd number of 
mirrors. In such a case, however, the demultiplication factor of the 
demultiplication of the output from the VCO 42, performed by the 
demultiplying circuit 43, is determined to a value which is obtained by 
dividing, with the number of sectors appearing per rotation, the value 
which is determined by dividing the clock frequency from the VCO 42 by the 
number of rotations of the disk. 
As will be understood from the foregoing description, it is possible to 
obtain a highly reliable optical information recording medium by recording 
preformat information on an optical information recording medium of the 
type shown in FIG. 4(a) or FIG. 13, by using the information 
recording/reproducing apparatus of the described embodiment, thus 
realizing stable recording and/or reproduction of information. The optical 
information recording medium to be used in the information 
recording/reproducing apparatus of the described embodiment may be of WORM 
type or R/W type mentioned before. Furthermore, the information 
recording/reproducing apparatus of the described embodiment allows the 
advantages of the aforesaid CAV or ZCAV technique to be fully enjoyed. 
In order to met the demand for greater storage capacity of recording 
medium, a technique referred to as "super-resolution technique", which 
enables recording on an opto-magnetic disk made of a magnetic material 
with a recording density higher than the optical resolution of the 
reproducing light, as in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 6-124500, 3-93058 
and 4-255946. The information recording/reproducing apparatus of the 
present invention can employ an opto-magnetic disk and can magnetically 
record the preformat information in such a type of disk. Therefore, it is 
possible to form the preformat information by using the above-mentioned 
super-resolution technique. A brief description therefore will be given as 
to each of the proposed super-resolution techniques which have been 
proposed. 
(1) Super-resolution technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 
6-124500: 
FIGS. 14(a) to 14(c) are illustrations of the super-resolution technique 
disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-124500. FIG. 14(a) is a 
schematic sectional view of an opto-magnetic disk in a state in which a 
recording surface of the disk is irradiated with a reproducing light. FIG. 
14(b) is a schematic illustration of a part of the recording surface of 
the disk showing grooves 203a and 203b, and land 202a. FIG. 14(c) is an 
illustration of the temperature distribution along the center of a track 
in the recording surface shown in FIG. 14(b). 
Referring to these Figures, an opto-magnetic disk has a substrate 205 
formed from glass, polycarbonate or the like, and a laminate structure 
formed on the substrate 205. The laminate structure includes, starting 
with the lowermost one contacting the substrate 205, an interference layer 
254, a reproduction layer 251 as the first magnetic layer, a memory layer 
252 as a second magnetic layer, and a protective layer 255. 
The interference layer 254 is intended to enhance Kerr effect, while the 
protective layer 255 serves to protect the magnetic layers constituting 
the reproduction layer 251 and the memory layer 252. Arrows appearing in 
the reproduction layer 251 and the memory layer 252 indicate the 
directions of magnetization of a sub-lattice of ferrous elements in the 
respective layers. The memory layer 252 is a layer having a large vertical 
magnetic anisotropy and is formed from, for example, TbFeCo or DyFeCo. 
Information to be recorded forms magnetic domains depending on whether the 
magnetization of the memory layer 252 is upward or downward, so as to be 
held in this layer. The reproduction layer 251 is formed from a material 
which exhibits a small vertical magnetic anisotropy of saturated 
magnetization Ms and having a structure in which magnetization of a 
sub-lattice of rare earth elements is dominant. More specifically, the 
reproduction layer 251 is made of a material which is an in-plane 
magnetized film at room temperature but decreases saturated magnetization 
Ms in accordance with a temperature rise so as to become a vertically 
magnetized film when a threshold temperature Tth is exceeded. 
Application of information reproducing light to this opto-magnetic disk 
from the same side as the substrate 250 develops a temperature gradient as 
shown in FIG. 14(c) at the center of the track. When viewed from the same 
side as the substrate 205, an isotherm of the threshold temperature Tth 
should exist in the spot of the beam, as shown in FIG. 14(b). In the 
region below the threshold temperature Tth, the reproduction layer 251 
takes the form of the in-plane magnetized film so as not to contribute to 
enhancement of Kerr effect, but forms a front mask 264 which masks the 
recording magnetic domains held by the memory layer 252 to make them 
invisible. 
Meanwhile, in the region where the temperature exceeds the threshold 
temperature Tth, the reproduction layer 251 becomes a vertically 
magnetized film, and as a result of an exchange coupling with the memory 
layer 252, the direction of magnetization of the ferrous element 
sub-lattice aligns with the recorded information. As a consequence, the 
recorded magnetic domain in the memory layer 252 is transferred only 
within the area of an aperture 263 which is smaller than the beam spot 
261, whereby super-resolution of recording mark 262 is realized. 
(2) Super-resolution technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 
3-93058 and 4-255946: 
FIGS. 15(a) to 15(c) are illustrations of the super-resolution technique 
disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 3-93058 and 4-255946. FIG. 
15(a) is a schematic sectional view of an opto-magnetic disk in a state in 
which a recording surface of the disk is irradiated with a reproducing 
light. FIG. 15(b) is a schematic illustration of a part of the recording 
surface of the disk showing grooves 303a and 303b, and land 302a. FIG. 
15(c) is an illustration of the temperature distribution along the center 
of a track in the recording surface shown in FIG. 15(b). 
The construction of this opto-magnetic disk is the same as that shown in 
FIGS. 14(a) to 14(c), except that an intermediate layer 353 as a third 
magnetic layer is interposed between the reproduction layer denoted by 351 
and the memory layer denoted by 352. Layers 351, 353 and 352 are disposed 
on interference layer 354 which, in turn, is disposed on substrate 305. 
Protective layer 355 is disposed on memory layer 352. 
Prior to reproduction of recorded information, an initializing magnetic 
field is applied as indicated by an arrow (a), so as to align the 
direction of magnetization of the reproduction layer 351, thereby masking 
the magnetic domain information held in the memory layer 352. A 
temperature distribution is caused in the disk as a result of application 
of a beam spot 361. In a low-temperature region below a temperature Tth, 
the reproduction layer 351 maintains the initial state so as to form a 
front mask 364, while, in a high-temperature region above the Curie point 
Tc2 of the intermediate layer 353, the reproduction layer 351 is forcibly 
oriented in the direction of the reproduction magnetic field (arrow (b)) 
so as to form a rear mask 365, so that the magnetic domain information 
held in the memory layer 352 is transferred only in the region of an 
intermediate temperature region 363. Thus, the effective size of the 
reproducing beam spot is reduced so as to make it possible to reproduce a 
recorded mark 362 which otherwise cannot be reproduced due to the 
diffraction limit of the light, whereby the line density is increased. 
In these known super-resolution techniques, attempt is also made to enhance 
the track density, as well as the line recording density, because the 
front mask 364 formed in the low temperature region spreads also towards 
adjacent tracks. 
The information recording/reproducing apparatus of the present invention, 
when it employs the above-described super-resolution technique, makes it 
possible to record the preformat information in the form of ultrafine 
marks, thus enhancing the recording density in the whole disk. 
Furthermore, the track density also can be enhanced. It is therefore 
possible to obtain a disk having a further increased storage capacity. 
Sixth Embodiment 
This embodiment is a master disk exposure apparatus for use in the 
production of a master disk from which a plurality substrates of disks as 
the optical information recording medium of the present invention are 
copied. 
FIG. 16 is a block diagram schematically showing the construction of the 
master disk exposure apparatus as the sixth embodiment. 
Referring to FIG. 16, numeral 450 denotes a disk-type glass master disk on 
which a photoresist as a photosensitive material has been applied. The 
master disk 450 is fixed to a turn table 452 by means of a disk retainer 
451. The turn table 452 is driven to rotate together with the glass master 
disk 450 fixed thereto, by means of a spindle motor 453. The spindle motor 
453, turn table 452 and the disk retainer 451 in combination provide a 
master disk driving mechanism for rotatingly driving the glass master disk 
450. A rotation control circuit (not shown) controls the operation of the 
spindle motor 453 in accordance with an output from a rotary encoder 454 
provided on the spindle motor 453, so as to rotate the turn table 452 at a 
constant speed of rotation. 
The above-mentioned driving mechanism also has a traverse feed screw 455 
and a traverse feed motor 456 for driving the feed screw 455. The traverse 
feed motor 456 and the traverse feed screw 455 in cooperation provide a 
traverse feed mechanism which causes a relative movement between the glass 
master disk 450 and a laser beam spot which is applied to the photoresist 
on the master disk to form grooves on the disk, such that the laser beam 
spot moves in a radial direction of the glass master disk 450. Although in 
the illustrated embodiment the traverse feed mechanism having the traverse 
feed screw 455 and the traverse feed motor 456 is used as the mechanism 
for effecting the traversal of the driving mechanism, this traverse feed 
mechanism is intended to effect a relative movement between the glass 
master disk 450 and the laser spot beam in the radial direction of the 
disk and, hence, may be substituted by a mechanism which causes the 
optical system described below, i.e., an exposure system for irradiating 
the glass master disk 50 with the laser beam so as to expose the 
photoresist on the glass master disk 450. 
Numeral 441 denotes a light source for emitting a light beams for forming a 
track guide groove in the recording surface of the glass master disk 450. 
In this embodiment, an He--Cd laser is used as the light source. An 
acousto-optical modulator (AOM) 442, a beam expander 443 and a half mirror 
444 are arranged in the mentioned order ahead of the He--Cd laser 441 as 
viewed in the direction of running of the beam from the He--Cd laser 441. 
An objective lens 445 is disposed ahead of the half mirror 444 as viewed 
in the direction of running of the beam reflected by the half mirror 444. 
The AOM 442 is intended to modulate intensity of the laser light to be 
emitted from the He--Cd laser 441 in accordance with a signal which is 
supplied externally. In this embodiment, a binary modulation of the laser 
beam intensity is effected by the AOM 442 so as to form grooves at desired 
positions on the glass master disk 450. 
In the optical system as described above, the beam emitted from the He--Cd 
laser 441 is intensity-modulated by the AOM 442 and enters the beam 
expander 443 which increases the beam diameter. The beam is then reflected 
by the half mirror 444 and is then focused on the glass master disk 450 
through the objective lens 445. The position of the objective lens 445 is 
controlled by a focusing control system using a focusing control optical 
system described below, such that the laser beam from the He--Cd laser is 
constantly focused on the glass master disk 450. 
The focusing control optical system employs an He--Ne laser 446 as the 
light source and a half mirror 447 disposed ahead of the He--Ne laser 446 
as viewed in the direction of running of the beam. The aforesaid half 
mirror 444 and the objective lens 445 are arranged ahead of the half 
mirror 447 as viewed in the direction of running of the beam reflected by 
the half mirror 447, so that the beam from the He--Ne laser 446 is focused 
on the glass master disk 450 through these elements. The beam reflected by 
the glass master disk 450 passes through the objective lens 445, half 
mirror 444 and the half mirror 447, in the mentioned order. A cylindrical 
lens 440, a condenser lens 448 and a sensor 449 are arranged in the 
mentioned order ahead of the half mirror 447 as viewed from the direction 
of running of the reflected beam. The sensor 449 has a light-receiving 
surface which is divided into four sections and performs detection of a 
focus error signal in accordance with an astigmatism method which is known 
per se, based on the beam focused on the light receiving surface through 
the cylindrical lens 440. A focus servo control system (not shown) 
controls the position of the objective lens 445, based on the focus error 
signal output from the sensor 449, whereby the laser beam from the He--Cd 
laser 441 is always held in an in-focus state on the glass master disk 
450. 
The circuit for generating the external signal to be inputted to the AOM 
442, i.e., the circuit for determining the period of modulation of the AOM 
442, includes the aforementioned rotary encoder 454 and components 
including demultiplying circuit 457, toggle flip-flop 459, and gate 
circuits 460, 461, each described below. 
The demultiplying circuit 457 has a counter and other components and is 
adapted to generate a pulse signal (a) of a pulse width t.sub.1 at a 
predetermined period T, as shown in FIGS. 17(a)-17(c), by counting the 
number of output pulses from the rotary encoder 454. In this embodiment, 
the period T equals to the period of rotation of the glass master disk 
450, so that the pulse width t, is given by the following formula: 
EQU t.sub.1 =(1.times.10.sup.-6)/V.sup..about. (100.times.10.sup.-6)/VS! 
where V represents the linear velocity of the point on the glass master 
disk where the laser beam spot is applied. 
The output from the demultiplying circuit 457 is input to the controller 
458 and is used as a clock signal for the toggle flip-flop circuit 459. 
The output from the demultiplying circuit 457 is input also to one of 
input terminals of the gate circuit 460 after inversion. 
Using the pulse signal (a) from the demultiplying circuit 457 as the clock, 
as shown in FIG. 17(a), the toggle flip-flop 459 generates an output 
signal (b), as shown in FIG. 17(b), of a period which is twice as long the 
period of rotation of the glass master disk 450, such that the level of 
the signal (b) is changed from "1" to "0" in one rotation of the disk and 
from "0" to "1" in the next rotation of the disk, as shown in FIG. 17(b). 
The gate circuit 460 has two input lines one of which receives the pulse 
signal (a) from the demultiplying circuit 457 after inversion, while the 
other receives the output signal (b) from the toggle flip-flop 459. The 
gate circuit 460, upon receipt of these signals, produces a signal (c) as 
the logical product of these signals, as shown in FIG. 17(c). The output 
signal (c) of this gate circuit 60 is used as the above-mentioned external 
input signal to be supplied to the AOM 442. Thus, the intensity of the 
laser beam is modulated at the same period as the output signal (c) from 
the gate circuit 460. 
In this embodiment, as will be seen from FIGS. 17(a)-17(c), the duration of 
the level "1" of the output signal (c) is shorter than that of the output 
signal (b) by an amount corresponding to the pulse width t.sub.1 of the 
pulse signal (a), while the duration of the "0" level of the signal (c) is 
longer than that of the signal (b) by an amount which corresponds to the 
pulse width t.sub.1 of the pulse signal (a). Therefore, on condition that 
the period of the output signal (c) is twice as long the period of 
rotation of the glass master disk 450, it is possible to obtain a groove 
such as that of the optical information recording medium shown in FIGS. 
4(a) and 4(b), by forming the groove with the laser beam while the level 
of the output signal (c) is "1". 
The gate circuit 461 is provided for the purpose of controlling the output 
of the signal (c) from the above-mentioned gate circuit 460 to the AOM 
442. The gate circuit 461 has two input lines. One line receives the 
output (c) from the gate circuit 460, while the other receives a signal 
from the controller 458. The gate circuit 461 produces logical product of 
these signals and delivers the logical product as the external input 
signal to the AOM 442. Thus, the gate circuit 461 controls the delivery of 
the output signal (c) of the gate circuit 460 to the AOM 442, in 
accordance with the signal from the controller 458. 
The controller 458 conducts overall control of the apparatus, in 
synchronization with the pulse signal (a) output from the demultiplying 
circuit 457. For instance, it performs a control to realize a constant 
velocity of traverse feed performed by the traverse feed motor 456, and 
conducts on-off control of the gate circuit 461 thereby controlling the 
supply of the output signal (c) from the gate circuit 460 to the AOM 442. 
In normal operation, the gate of the gate circuit 461 is turned on to 
commence the modulation of the laser beam intensity performed by the AOM 
442, thus starting forming of the groove in the glass master disk 450, 
only when the constant traverse velocity has been achieved after start-up 
of the traverse feed motor 456. 
The master disk exposure apparatus having the described construction 
operates in a manner which will be described hereinunder. 
In operation, the spindle motor 453 is started first, so that the turn 
table 452 carrying the glass master disk 450 fixed thereto starts to 
rotate at a predetermined speed. As a result, the demultiplying circuit 
457 produces the pulse signal (a) corresponding to the period of rotation 
of the glass master disk, based on the output of the rotary encoder 454. 
When the rotation of the turn table has become steady, the objective lens 
445 starts to operate, thus commencing the focus servo control. 
Upon receipt of the pulse signal (a), the toggle flip-flop 459 produces the 
output signal (b) of a frequency which is half that of the rotation 
frequency of the glass master disk 450, based on the received pulse signal 
(a), and the gate signal 460 outputs an output signal (c) which is input 
as the external input signal to the AOM 442. In this state, the level of 
the signal supplied by the controller 458 to the gate circuit 461 is "0", 
so that no signal is delivered by the gate circuit 461 to the AOM 442. 
Consequently, no mark or groove is formed in the master disk. 
Then, the traverse feed motor 456 starts to operate so as to commence 
traverse feed. When a constant traverse feed velocity is obtained, the 
gate of the gate circuit 461 is turned on, so that the output signal (c) 
from the gate circuit 460 is delivered to the AOM 442 through the gate 
circuit 461. 
The AOM 442 then effects intensity modulation of the laser beam to be 
emitted from the He--Cd laser 441, based on the output signal (c) supplied 
thereto. As a consequence, groove is formed in accordance with the output 
signal (c), whereby a groove such as that in the optical information 
recording medium shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) is obtained on the glass 
master disk 450. 
Thus, the groove is formed in the glass master disk 450 by the laser beam 
spot, the intensity of which is modulated in accordance with the output 
signal (c), while the beam spot is continuously moved in a radial 
direction of the disk at a constant velocity. By forming optical disks 
employing this glass master disk 450 as the master, it is possible to 
obtain the optical information recording medium shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 
4(b). 
In the master disk exposure apparatus of this embodiment, the 
circumferential length of the mirror portion 4 of the medium shown in 
FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) is determined by the pulse width t.sub.1 of the pulse 
signal (a) shown in FIG. 17(a). Preferably, the circumferential length of 
the mirror section 4 is determined to range from 2 .mu.m to 200 .mu.m when 
measured on the master disk. 
In the recording or reproduction of information in or from the optical 
information recording medium of the type shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), 
mirror section 4 is detected and the signal indicative of the detection of 
the mirror section 4 is used as a trigger signal for triggering the 
switching of polarity of the tracking error signal. It is therefore 
necessary that the circumferential length of the mirror section 4 is not 
so large as to cause a risk of bringing the tracking servo out of control 
but large enough to accommodating the spot of the pickup beam so as not to 
allow the spot to enter grooves adjacent to the mirror section 4. This is 
the reason why the circumferential length of the mirror section 4 is 
selected to range from 2 .mu.m to 200 .mu.m on the glass a master disk. 
Seventh Embodiment 
FIG. 18 is a block diagram schematically showing the construction of a 
master disk exposure apparatus as the seventh embodiment of the present 
invention. 
The apparatus of the seventh embodiment is similar to the exposure 
apparatus of the sixth embodiment, except the construction of the circuit 
which produces the external input signal to be delivered to the AOM 
denoted by 542 based on the signal output from the toggle flip-flop 
denoted by 559. More specifically, the seventh embodiment employs, in 
place of the gate circuit 460 shown in FIG. 16, a PLL (phase-locked loop) 
circuit 562, a monostable multivibrator (MSMV) 563 and a gate circuit 564. 
In FIG. 18, the same reference numerals as those used in the description 
of the sixth embodiment are used to denote components or parts which are 
the same or correspond to those of the sixth embodiment, and detailed 
description of such components or parts is omitted. 
The PLL circuit 562 has an internal oscillator and produces a signal of a 
desired frequency in synchronization with an external clock signal. In 
this embodiment, the output from the toggle flip-flop 559 (shown in FIG. 
19(b)) is used as the input signal to be inputted to the PLL circuit 562. 
The frequency of the internal oscillator is set to be (2n-1) times (n 
being a natural number) as high as the input signal which is the output 
from the toggle flip-flop 559. The PLL circuit 562 in synchronized state 
produces an output signal (d) of a waveform shown in FIG. 19(c). It will 
be seen that this output signal is synchronized with the rotation of the 
glass master disk 450 and has a frequency which is (2n-1)/2 times as high 
the rotation frequency of the glass master disk 450. The output signal (d) 
from the PLL circuit 562 is used as a trigger signal for triggering the 
operation of the monostable multivibrator 563 and is supplied to one of 
two input lines of the gate circuit 564. 
The monostable multivibrator 563, by being triggered by the output signal 
(d) from the PLL circuit 562, produces a pulse signal (e) of a pulse width 
t.sub.2 as shown in FIG. 19(d). The output from the monostable 
multivibrator 563 is supplied to the other of the input lines of the gate 
circuit 564. The monostable multivibrator 563 is intended to trigger the 
signal (d) so as to generate the signal (e) of the pulse width t.sub.2, 
and hence, may be substituted by a circuit having an equivalent function, 
e.g., a counter circuit. 
The gate circuit 564, upon receipt of the output signal (d) from the PLL 
circuit 562 at one input line thereof and the pulse signal (e) from the 
monostable multivibrator 563 after inversion at its other input, produces 
an output signal (f) which is the logical product of these received 
signals and which has a waveform as shown in FIG. 19(e). The output signal 
(f) of the gate circuit 564 is supplied as the external input signal to 
the AOM 542, so that the intensity of the laser beam is modulated at the 
period of this output signal (f). In this embodiment, as will be seen from 
FIG. 19(e), the duration of the "1" level of the output signal (f) is 
shorter than that of the output signal (d) by an amount which equals the 
pulse width t.sub.2 of the pulse signal (a) (shown in FIG. 19(a)), and the 
duration of the "0" level of the output signal (f) is longer than that of 
the output signal (d) by an amount which equals to the pulse width t.sub.2 
of the pulse signal (a). 
In this embodiment, the formation of the groove by the laser beam is 
conducted when the level of the output signal (e) is "1". The described 
master disk exposure apparatus therefore can form mirror sections as done 
by the master disk exposure apparatus of the sixth embodiment, when the 
pulse width t.sub.2 of the pulse signal (e) produced by the monostable 
multivibrator 563 is determined to meet the following condition: 
EQU t.sub.2 =(1.times.10.sup.-6)/V-(100.times.10.sup.-6)/V S! 
where V represents the linear velocity of the point on the glass master 
disk where the laser beam spot is applied. 
In this case, a plurality of circumferentially spaced mirror sections are 
formed such that they are aligned in the radial direction, as shown in 
FIG. 7 or FIG. 13. 
In the master disk exposure apparatus of the present invention, the 
circumferential length of the mirror section is determined by the pulse 
width t.sub.2 of the pulse signal (e) shown in FIG. 19. For the same 
reason as that stated in connection with the sixth embodiment, the 
circumferential length of the mirror section is preferably determined to 
range from 2 .mu.m to 200 .mu.m when measured on the master disk. 
In the master disk exposure apparatus of the seventh embodiment as 
described, the frequency of the internal oscillator of the PLL circuit 562 
is set to a value which is (2n-1) (n being a natural number) times as high 
the frequency of the input signal which is the output signal from the 
toggle flip-flop circuit 459. When the natural number n is set to be 1 
(n=1), the operation of the apparatus is exactly the same as that would be 
performed when the PLL circuit 562 is omitted, i.e., when the input and 
the output of the PLL circuit are short-circuited. In such a case, the 
master disk as the product is exactly the same as that fabricated by the 
master disk exposure apparatus of the sixth embodiment. 
The master disk exposure apparatus of the seventh embodiment can form a 
mirror section in each of sectors, when the number of the sectors in one 
turn along the disk is set to be (2n-1) while the frequency of the 
internal oscillator of the PLL circuit 562 is set to be equal to the 
above-mentioned number of sectors. 
The master disk exposure apparatuses of the sixth and seventh embodiments 
as described are characterized in that the period of modulation of 
intensity of the laser beam effected in the AOM 442 is determined such 
that the period in which the laser beam is applied is shorter than the 
period in which the laser beam is not applied, during one full rotation of 
the glass master disk. More specifically, the period F of modulation of 
the laser beam intensity is determined to meet the following condition: 
EQU F=2T(2n-1) 
(n being a natural number, T being the period of rotation of the glass 
master disk). Thus, the period in which the laser beam is applied is set 
to be below F/2, thus making it possible to form the mirror sections. 
The sixth and seventh embodiments employ different constructions of the 
circuit for determining the period of modulation to be performed by the 
AOM 442 or AOM 542, respectively. The described constructions, however, 
are only illustrative and any other suitable circuit may be employed, 
provided that such circuit enables the period of intensity modulation of 
the laser beam to be synchronized with the rotation of the glass master 
disk in such a manner that the period in which the laser beam is applied 
is shorter than the period in which the laser beam is not applied in one 
full rotation of the disk. The optical information recording medium to be 
produced by the use of the master disk fabricated by the exposure 
apparatus as described may be of the ROM, WOROM, or R/W type, as mentioned 
before. Furthermore, advantages of the aforesaid CAV and ZCAV techniques 
are fully realized, when they are combined with the master disk exposure 
apparatus of the described embodiments. The individual components shown in 
the outline or designated by blocks in the foregoing drawings are all well 
known in the art and their specific construction and operation are not 
critical to the operation or best mode for carrying out the invention. 
While the present invention has been described above with respect to what 
are presently considered to be the preferred embodiments, it is to be 
understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. 
To the contrary, the invention is intended to cover various modifications 
and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the 
appended claims. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the 
broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and 
equivalent structures and functions.