Patent ID: 6901044

Claim:
An optical information medium for erasable recording by means of a laser-light beam having a laser-light wavelength, said medium having a substrate and a stack of layers provided thereon, the stack comprising: a recording layer that is able to change between an amorphous and a crystalline state, said recording layer being interposed between a first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer, wherein a complete erasure time (CET) is less than 45 ns, and wherein CET is defined as the minimum duration of an erasing pulse of the laser light beam for complete crystallization of a written amorphous mark in a crystalline environment of the recording layer; a light-absorptive layer, wherein the light-absorptive layer comprises a compound of the formula QR x , in which Q is an element selected from the group consisting of Si, Ge, Ti, Zr, Hf, Nb and Ta, R is an element selected from the group consisting of O and N, and 0<x<2.5; and a third dielectric layer, wherein the light-absorptive layer is interposed between the second dielectric layer and the third dielectric layer, wherein the recording layer is in direct mechanical contact with the first dielectric layer and with the second dielectric layer, and wherein the light-absorptive layer is in direct mechanical contact with the second dielectric layer and with the third dielectric layer.