MAGNETO-OPTICAL RECORDING MEDIUM AND METHOD OF RECORDING AND REPRODUCING USING SAME

摘要

A magneto-optical recording medium has (1) a first magnetic layer made of a magnetic material which is changed into a vertical magnetization film in response to a temperature rise while is an in-plane magnetization film at a room temperature; (2) a second magnetic layer made of a vertical magnetization film; and (3) a third magnetic layer made of a vertical magnetic film having a higher Curie temperature than that of the second magnetic layer; and (4) a base substrate on which the first, second, and third magnetic layers are laminated in this order. With the arrangement, the optically modulated overwriting can be carried out with respect to the second magnetic layer and it is not necessary to complete the magnetization direction to one direction for each optically modulated overwriting. Moreover, it is possible to reproduce through the first magnetic layer the information which is recorded on a smaller portion than a light beam spot.