摘要 |
An optical recording medium is disclosed which comprises a reflecting material, the surface of which is characterized by cavities of average depth D and of average spacing S such that for incident radiation of wavelength lambda , S is less than about lambda /20 and D is either greater than lambda /6 or less than lambda /6 and is capable of being altered to either less than or greater than lambda /6, respectively. In the practice of the invention, the heat from a high intensity energy source, such as a laser operating in the ultraviolet, optical or near-infrared region or a beam of electrons, softens the reflective material at the surface and, depending on the sign of the surface energy, either increases or decreases D, thus lowering or raising the reflectivity of the surface, respectively. |