Patent ID: 6967917

Claim:
An optical disk apparatus for carrying out information recording by employing an optical disk having a recording track composed of a plurality of sectors and capable of overwriting and reproducing data sector by sector, including: a data recording portion for recording information data; and a plurality of defect management recording areas for recording defect management information used in managing a defective sector in said data recording portion, said plurality of defect management recording areas being aligned along a radius direction of said optical disk so as not to be superimposed over one another, each of said plurality of defect management recording areas being provided with defect management recording portions for recording said defect management information, said defect management recording portions being aligned at a pitch of at least one recording track, said apparatus including: defect management information recording means for recording said defect management information into said plurality of defect management information recording areas by emitting a laser beam having a laser power larger than a laser power used in recording said information data into said data recording portion.