Magneto-optical recording medium permitting an initializing magnetic field smaller than a recording magnetic field, and method of recording there on

摘要

A magneto-optical recording medium with a first, second, and third magnetic layers which are laminated on a substrate. The first magnetic layer has a perpendicular magnetization in a temperature range between room temperature and its Curie temperature. The second magnetic layer has an in-plane magnetization at room temperature, and has a perpendicular magnetization at or above a temperature falling within a range between room temperature and its Curie temperature. The third magnetic layer has an in-plane magnetization at room temperature, and has a perpendicular magnetization at or above a temperature falling within a range between room temperature and the temperature at which a transition occurs in the second magnetic layer from the in-plane magnetization to the perpendicular magnetization. Accordingly, since the second and third magnetic layers have the in-plane magnetization at room temperature, it is possible to previously direct the magnetization of the third magnetic layer in a single specific direction by the induction of an initializing magnetic field during a rise in temperature caused by a laser beam projection. Therefore, the initializing magnetic field can be set smaller than a recording magnetic field. As a result, it is possible to reduce the size of a recording device.