An optical memory system

Abstract: An optical memory medium comprises guide tracks (12) which function to control the position on which a light beam is impinged, and prepits (14) which correspond to information of a track address. The prepits (14) are formed between the adjacent guide tracks (12). The width of each of the prepits (14) is narrower than that of each of the guide tracks (12). Data bits (13) correspond to the recorded information. The prepits (14) provide basic information for identification purposes, e.g. the track number.

Description: This invention relates to an optical memory medium with which information can be optically recorded and reproduced. More particularly, it relates to an improvement of a preformat of optical memory medium. In recent years, with the development of information processing systems, large capacity memories which are inexpensive have been required. To meet this requirement, various optical memory systems have been developed. Among such optical memory systems, three kinds of systems have been used in practice. The first is a system which can conduct only the reproduction of information. In this system, fine pit patterns are formed in a row on a recording element so that information can be reproduced by utilizing the diffraction phenomenon of a laser beam incident on the pit patterns. The second system is of a so-called write once type in which a laser beam is applied to a recording medium to form portions, the reflectivity of which is changed, and the change in the reflectivity is detected by applying a laser beam, to read the recorded information. In this system information can be additionally recorded by a user. The third is a system employing a magneto-optic disk in which information can be recorded, and erased by a user (i.e., information is rewritable). A magneto-optic disk used in this system has a magnetic thin film the axis of easy magnetization of which is perpendicular to the surface of the film. A portion of the magnetic thin film irradiated by a laser beam is heated to decrease the coercive force of the film. In the irradiated portion, the magnetic domains are oriented in accordance with the direction of the external magnetic field applied to the film, and thereby the recording and erasing of information are conducted. The reproduction of information is carried out based on the magneto-optic effect while a weak laser beam is used to irradiate the portion in which information has been recorded. In an optical disk used in such a system, tracks called "recording tracks" and having a width of about 1 µm ore formed, and information is recorded along the recording tracks. If a laser spot deviates from the objective recording track or applied to a recording track other than the objective track, information cannot be recorded or reproduced correctly. When recording or reproducing information, therefore, the position of a laser spot which is finely focused should be controlled precisely so as not to deviate from the objective recording track, thereby necessitating a servo control system which uses guiding tracks of some kind. An optical disk (e.g., a so-called compact disk) used in the aforementioned optical system which conducts only the reproduction of information comprises row-formed pit patterns which correspond to information to be recorded and which are formed in the manufacturing process of the disk. In such an optical disk, therefore, the rows (recording tracks) composed of the pit patterns can be used as guiding tracks so that a laser spot can be servo-controlled to trace one of the rows. In an optical disk of a write once type or rewritable type, information is recorded into a region wherein no information has been prerecorded. In order to guide the laser spot accurately to a predetermined position (i.e., a predetermined recording track) of the disk, therefore, guide tracks and addresses indicating a track number or address are preformed on a glass or resin substrate of the disk in the manufacturing process of the disk. Hereinafter, the term "optical disk" is used to indicate on optical disk in which information can be recorded after the production of the disk, such as those of a write once type or a rewritable one including a magneto-optic disk. Generally, guide tracks in the form of grooves are formed intermittently or continuously in a circumferential direction on a substrate of an optical disk, and address information is recorded in the form of pits along the grooves. Some methods of preforming the guide tracks and pits have been proposed. For example, a method in which an Ni stamp is employed to transcribe the grooves and pits onto a resin substrate made of acrylic resin or polycarbonate resin by an injection molding technique, and a method in which UV-setting resin is interposed between a stamp having grooves and pits and a substrate made of glass or acrylic resin, and the interposed resin is then exposed to UV rays (this method is called "the 2P method"). In another proposed method in which a glass substrate is used, a laser beam or UV rays are selectively irradiated through a photo mask onto a photoresist layer which is applied to the glass substrate, and then etching is performed to form grooves and pits simultaneously. The guide tracks are V-shaped, U-shaped or Ω-shaped in cross sectional view, and are formed into a spiral or concentric circles on the optical disks. Each of the guide tracks is provided with information as to a track number or address, which is called a prepit. The prepits and the guide tracks are together called a preformat. As a preformat, there are a groove-type preformat (Figure 6) in which data bits 3 are disposed on guide tracks 1 and prepits 2 are disposed in an area, in which there is no guide track 1, extending from one end of a guide track section to the other end thereof (EP-A-0178116), and a land-type preformat in which data bits 3 are disposed on a land positioned between the adjacent guide tracks 1 (EP-A-0164131) and the prepits 2 may be also disposed on the land (Fig. 7). If the optical disk is of a magneto-optic type, the data bits 3 represent portions in which the direction of magnetisation is reversed to store information. The shape of each of the guide tracks 1 is determined so that tracking error signals can be distinctly obtained from the guide tracks 1 when the deviation of the optical beam position arises. The shape of each of the prepits 2 is determined so that a signal that identifies the track number can be distinctly output. Accordingly, it is usual that there is a difference between the optimum size of the prepits 2 and the optimum size of the guide tracks 1. With the above-mentioned groove-type preformat, the position on an optical disk at which the prepits 2 are formed is a position at which the guide track 1 is interrupted, so that the tracking error signals from the guide tracks 1 cannot be output when the laser beam is positioned in the said portion. On the other hand, the above-mentioned land-type preformat is designed so that the guide tracks 1 pass along the position at which the prepits 2 are formed. Accordingly, the land-type format is disadvantageous in that the prepits 2 have a bad influence on the tracking error signals from the guide track 1 although the tracking error signals from the guide track 1 can be output. To overcome the above-mentioned problem, the depth of the groove of each of the guide tracks is differentiated from the depth of the groove of each of the prepits 2; for example, the depth of the grooves that constitute the prepits 2 are set to be an 1/4 wavelength of laser light (DE-A-3620331), which causes difficulties in the production of the preformat. A magneto-optical memory system according to the invention comprises guide tracks in the form of grooves for producing tracking error signals to control the position in which a light beam is impinged and a land region between adjacent guide tracks, the width of each land region being wider than that of each of said guide tracks, the land region containing prepits and data bit areas, the prepits providing addressing information as to the track address and the data bit areas being for information to be so recorded, that information signals read out by means of reflected light derived from the light beam impinging on the data bit areas can be discriminated from the tracking error signals and said addressing information signal, characterised in that the width of each of said prepits between the adjacent guide tracks is narrower than that of each of said guide tracks the width of the guide tracks is less than or equal to 0.6µm and the width of the prepits is less than or equal to 0.4µm. In one embodiment, the depth of each of said prepits is equal to that of each of said guide tracks. In another embodiment, the depth of each of said prepits is different from that of each of said guide tracks. Thus, the invention described herein makes possible the objectives of (1) providing a magneto-optical memory medium in which the tracking error signals from the guide tracks can be distinctly output with-out undergoing the influence of the prepits even in the position of the optical memory medium on which the prepits are formed; (2) providing a magneto-optical memory medium in which the depth of each of the prepits is not required to be 1 / 4 times the wavelength of laser light, but it can be set to be the same as that of each of the grooves of the guide tracks, which makes the manufacture of the preformat easy. This invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings as follows: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a preformat of a magneto-optic disk of this invention. Figure 2a is a graph showing the characteristics of the tracking error signals from guide tracks in the cases where the width Wg and the depth of each of the guide tracks are 0.4 µm and 60 nm, respectively. Figure 2b is a graph showing the characteristics of the tracking error signals from guide tracks in the cases where the width Wg and the depth of each of the guide tracks are 0.2 µm and 60 nm, respectively. Figure 3a is a graph showing the characteristics of the tracking error signals from guide tracks in the cases where the width Wg and the depth of each of the guide tracks are 0.4 µm and 50 nm, respectively. Figure 3b is a graph showing the characteristics of the tracking error signals from guide tracks in the cases where the width Wg and the depth of each of the guide tracks are 0.2 µm and 50 nm, respectively. Figure 4a is a graph showing the characteristics of the tracking error signals from guide tracks in the cases where the width Wg and the depth of each of the guide tracks are 0.4 µm and 40 nm, respectively. Figure 4b is a graph showing the characteristics of the tracking error signals from guide tracks in the cases where the width Wg and the depth of each of the guide tracks are 0.2 µm and 40 nm, respectively. Figure 5a is a graph showing the characteristics of the tracking error signals from guide tracks in the cases where the width Wg and the depth of each of the guide tracks are 0.6 µm and 60 nm, respectively. Figure 5b is a graph showing the characteristics of the tracking error signals from guide tracks in the cases where the width Wg and the depth of each of the guide tracks are 0.6 µm and 90 nm, respectively. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional groove-type preformat of optical disks. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional land-type preformat of optical disks. Figure 8 is a diagram showing an optical system for reproducing signals from a magneto-optic disk. Figures 9 and 11a are diagrams illustrating a principle of producing signals from reflected light beams, respectively. Figure 10 is a diagram showing another optical system for reproducing signals from a magneto-optic disk. Figures 11b and 11c show waveforms of signals produced in the system of Fig. 10. The optical disk 11 shown in Fig. 1 is of a magneto-optical type, and comprises guide tracks 12 that contribute to control the position on which a laser beam is condensed into a spot, i.e., the optical beam position, data bits 13 that correspond to recorded information, and prepits 14 that correspond to information as to a track number. The guide tracks 12 are formed into a spiral or concentric circles on the optical disk 11. In order to ensure that a laser beam is condensed into a spot at a predetermined position, the shape of each of the guide tracks 12 is determined so that large tracking error signals can be obtained from the guide tracks 12 when a deviation of the optical beam position arises. The data bits 13 and the prepits 14 are both formed between the adjacent guide tracks 12. An example of a system for reading recorded information from the data bits 13 of a magneto-optic disk will now be described. In the magneto-optic disk system of this example, a magneto-optic recording medium disk is irradiated by a light beam of linear polarization, and changes in the polarization direction which correspond to the magnetization directions of the recording medium are detected as reproduced signals. More specifically, a lineary polarized light beam of produced by a polarizer is incident on the recording medium of the magneto-optic disk and the reflected beams obtained therefrom, the polarization direction of which varies in accordance with the magnetization direction of the recording medium, are incident on an analyzer in which the variations in the polarization directions of the reflected beams are transformed into changes in light intensity. These changes are converted into electric signals by a photodetector. In Figure 8, a magneto-optic disk 89 used in this system comprises a laminated structure in which an AIN insulating layer 91, a GdTbFen amorphous magnetic thin layer 92, another AIN insulating layer 93, and a metal reflective layer 94 of Al are laminated in this sequence on a substrate 90. In the system of Fig. 8, a laser beam emitted from a semiconductor laser device 81 passes through a collimating lens 82 and a polarizer 83 to produce a lineary polarized beam of polarization direction A as shown in Fig. 9. The beam of linear polarization is condensed by an objective lens 85 on to the magneto-optic disk 89. The beam of linearly polarized light is reflected from the disk as a further beam of lineary polarized light the polarization direction of which depends on the direction of the magnetic domain in the amorphous magnetic thin layer 92 (i.e., the polarization direction B or C shown in Fig. 9). The reflected beam is directed by a beam splitter 84 into a signal detecting optical path 88 disposed perpendicular to the optical path between the laser device 81 and the disk 89. As shown in Fig. 9, the polarization direction B or C of the reflected beam is converted into the light strength D or E by an analyzer 86 the direction of which is different from that of the polarizer 83. In Fig. 9, "" represents the Kerr rotation angle. The beam of linear polarization thus obtained is transferred into electrical signals by a photodetector 87 to reproduce the recorded information The detection of tracking signals will be described with reference to Fig. 10 and Figs. 11A to 11C. The optical system shown in Fig. 10 comprises a beam splitter 101, a half wave plate 102, a lens 103, a polarizing beam splitter 104, a first photodetector 105, and a second photodetector 106. The oscillation directions of the beam reflected from the disk 89 are set between the S axis and the P axis of the polarizing beam splitter 104 (Fig. 11a). The output of the first photodetector 105 which receives the transmitted beam from the polarizing beam splitter 104 comprises signals S 1 and S 4 (Fig. 11b). The output of the second photodetector 106 which receives the reflected beam from the polarizing beam splitter 104 comprises signals S 2 and S 3 (Fig. 11c). The signals S 1 and S 2 correspond to the information which is magneto-optically reproduced (i.e., information obtained from the data bits 13), while the signals S 3 and S 4 correspond to the the information which is optically reproduced (i.e., information (track address) obtained from the prepits 14). The signals of recorded information can be obtained by subtracting the signals from each other, and the signals of the track address by adding the signals to each other. The width x of each of the prepits 14 is set to be narrower than the width Wg of each of the guide tracks 12. Because of the above-mentioned structure, the prepits 14 never have a bad influence on the tracking error signals produced by the guide tracks 12 in the position of the optical disk 11 that corresponds to the position on which the prepits 14 are formed, so that the optical disk system including an optical disk with the said preformat can be accurately controlled. In general, the tracking error signal exhibits a zero level that is the standard at the time when the spot of the laser beam is positioned at the center of the land of the optical disk 11 (namely, the deviation of the optical beam position does not arise). It exhibits a positive or negative level with a deviation of the optical beam position from the center of the land of the optical disk 11, and on the basis of the changes of the said level, the direction and the amount of the deviation of the optical beam position from the center of the land can be detected. A reduction of the above-mentioned characteristics of the tracking error signal can be prevented by the above-mentioned structure of the preformat of this invention that the width x of each of the prepits 14 is set to be narrower than the width Wg of each of the guide tracks 12. The reasons therefor are described below: Figure 2a shows the changes (i.e., the signal levels) of the tracking error signals based on the deviation of the optical beam position from the center of the land of an optical disk in the cases where the width Wg of each of the guide tracks 12 was set at a value of 0.4 µm; the depth of each guide track 12 and each prepit 14 were both set at a value of 60 nm; the width x of each of the prepits 14 was set at values of 0 µm, 0.2 µm, 0.4 µm, 0.6 µm, and 0.8 µm. The wavelength of laser light was assumed to be 0.78 µm, the NA (numerical aperture) of an optical lens by which the laser light is condensed into a spot on the optical disk was 0.6, and the pitch of the guide tracks 12 was 1.6 µm. The tracking error signals were detected by the push-pull method with respect to a far-field pattern attained by a laser device that produces the laser light. Figure 2a indicates that signals with positive levels are output based on the deviation of the optical beam position in the direction of arrow a (Figure 1) from the center of the land of the optical disk 11 in the cases where the width x of the prepit 14 is 0 µm or 0.2 µm. This means that the prepits 14 with these widths do not have a bad influence upon the characteristics of the tracking error signals. On the other hand, it is seen from Figure 2a that signals with negative levels or mixtures of negative and positive levels are output based on the deviation of the optical beam position in the direction of arrow a in the cases where the width x of the prepit 14 is 0.4 µm, 0.6 µm, or 0.8 µm. This means that the prepits 14 with these widths have a bad influence upon the characteristics of the tracking error signals, which makes the track servo control impossible. The reference S of Figure 2a indicates the intensity of signals that is defined as a value of 1000 at the time when a light beam is reflected from a flat portion of the optical disk on which neither grooves nor pits are formed; for example, the value of S is 957 (i.e., S = 957) when the prepits 14 are not formed (i.e., the width x of each of the prepits 14 is 0 µm), and it is 632 (i.e., S = 632) when the width x of the prepit 14 is 0.2 µm. A difference, 325, between the values of 957 and 632 indicates the amplitude of signals at the time when the width x of the prepit 14 is 0.2 µm. The signals can be readily detected by an increase in the said signal amplitude, as described above. A difference, 389, between the values of 957 and 568 indicates the amplitude of signals at the time when the width x of the prepit 14 is 0.4 µm, as well. Figure 2b shows the changes (i.e., the signal levels) of the tracking error signals based on the deviation of the optical beam position from the center of the land of the optical disk in the case where the width Wg of each of the guide tracks 12 was set at a value of 0.2 µm and the other conditions were the same as those of Figure 2a. It can be seen from Figure 2b that only at the time when there is no prepit 14 (i.e., the widths of the prepits 14 are 0 µm), the tracking error signals are not influenced. Figure 3a shows the changes of the tracking error signals in the cases where the width Wg and the depth of each of the guide tracks 12 were set to be 0.4 µm and 50 nm, respectively, and the other conditions were the same as those of Figure 2a. Figure 3b shows the changes of the tracking error signals in the cases where the width Wg and the depth of each of the guide tracks 12 were set to be 0.2 µm and 50 nm, respectively, and the other conditions were the same as those of Figure 2a. Figures 3a and 3b indicate that the influence of the prepits 14 on the tracking error signals does not depend upon the depth of the guide track 12, but it is constant. In the same way, as seen from Figures 4a and 4b, the influence of the prepits 14 on the tracking error signals does not depend upon the depth of the guide track 12, but it is constant. Also, as seen from Figures 5a and 5b, only at the times when the width x of each of the prepits 14 is narrower than the width Wg of the guide track 12, do the prepits 14 have no influence on the tracking error signals. As mentioned above, this invention provides a preformat of optical disks in which the tracking error signals are distinctly output without undergoing the influence of the prepits in the position of the optical disk on which the prepits 14 are formed. Moreover, the influence of the prepits 14 on the tracking error signals has a tendency to be constant regardless of the depth of the groove of each of the guide tracks 12. Because the depth of the groove of each of the guide tracks 12 can be equal to that of the groove of each of the prepits 14, it is unnecessary that the depth of the groove of each of the prepits 14 of the preformat of this invention be set to 1/4 times the wavelength of laser light, and accordingly the preformat of this invention can be readily manufactured.

Claims: A magneto-optical memory medium comprising guide tracks (12) in the form of grooves for producing tracking error signals to control the position in which a light beam is impinged and a land region between adjacent guide tracks (12), the width of each land region being wider than that of each of said guide tracks, the land region containing prepits (14) and data bit areas (13), the prepits (14) providing addressing information as to the track address, and the data bit areas (13) being for information to be so recorded, that information signals read out by means of reflected light derived from the light beam impinging on the data bit areas can be discriminated from the tracking error signals and said addressing information signals, characterised in that the width of each of said prepits (14) between the adjacent guide tracks is narrower than that of each of said guide tracks (12), the width of the guide tracks is less than or equal to 0.6µm and the width of the prepits is less than or equal to 0.4µm. A magneto-optical memory medium according to claim 1, wherein the depth of each of said prepits (14) is substantially equal to that of each of said guide tracks (12). A magneto-optical memory medium according to claim 1, wherein the depth of each of said prepits (14) is different from that of each of said guide tracks (12).

Inventors: DEGUCHI TOSHIHISA, INUI TETSUYA, OHTA KENJI, TAKAHASHI AKIRA, VAN KAZUO, DEGUCHI, TOSHIHISA, INUI, TETSUYA, OHTA, KENJI, TAKAHASHI, AKIRA, VAN, KAZUO
Applicants: SHARP KK, SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1988
Main classification: G11B7
IPC codes: G11B7