Patent ID: 7602675

Claim:
An optical recording method configured to apply recording light locally on an optical recording medium and to record information subjected to mark length modulation by use of recording marks having a plurality of time lengths, the method comprising the steps of: dividing a light irradiation time period when defining a time length of one recording mark as nT (T is a reference clock period and n is a natural number equal to or above 2) for recording a recording mark having a time length of nT in the order of α 1 T, β 1 T, α 2 T, β 2 T, . . . , α i T, β i T, . . . , α m T, β m T (in which m is a natural number representing a divided pulse number, α i (1≦i≦m) is a real number greater than 0, β i (1≦i≦m-1) is a real number greater than 0, and β m is a real number equal to or above 0); applying recording light having recording power Pw i (1≦i≦m) in time periods of the α i T (1≦i≦m); applying recording light having bias power Pb satisfying Pb≦0.2×Pw i (1≦i≦m) in time periods of the β i T (1≦i≦m); setting the divided pulse number m equal to or above 2 in terms of at least one recording mark out of the recording marks having the plurality of time lengths; and forming a plurality of recording marks each having a respective time length of nT by use of the same divided pulse number m, wherein there is an m satisfying Pw short >Pw long , an average value of the recording power Pw i at the time periods of α i T (1≦i≦m) for forming a recording mark having a longest nT among the plurality of recording marks each having the respective time lengths of nT is defined as Pw long , and an average value of the recording power Pw i at the time periods of α i T (1≦i≦m) for forming a recording mark having a shortest nT among the plurality of recording marks each having the respective time lengths of nT is defined as PW short .