Optical recording method, optical recording apparatus and optical storage medium

1. An optical recording method for a phase-change optical storage medium having a beam-incident surface and a plurality of data layers provided over the surface, each data layer having at least a recording film, comprising the steps of:

a modulation step of modulating data to be recorded to generate modulated data;

a mark-length generation step of generating desired mark-length data based on the modulated data; and

a recording step of emitting a recording beam onto each data layer based on the mark-length data, thus forming a recorded mark carrying the data to be recorded in each data layer, in which,

when forming a recorded mark in a first data layer located most remote from the beam-incident surface among the data layers, generating a first recording pulse sequence having at least a first recording pulse carrying a first erasing power and a first recording power rising from the first erasing power, and a first cooling pulse carrying a first bottom power lower than the first erasing power, and emitting a recording beam onto the first data layer in accordance with the first recording pulse sequence, whereas

when forming a recorded mark in a second data layer different from the first data layer among the data layers, generating a second recording pulse sequence having at least a second recording pulse carrying a second erasing power and a second recording power rising from the second erasing power, a second cooling pulse carrying a second bottom power lower than the second erasing power, and an erasing top pulse carrying an erasing top power higher than the second erasing power, the erasing top pulse also carrying the second erasing power as descending from the erasing top power, in which the second recording pulse, the second cooling pulse and the erasing top pulse are aligned in this order in the second recording pulse sequence so that the erasing top pulse is provided just after the second cooling pulse as the last pulse in the second recording pulse sequence to cause steep temperature rise in the second data layer to a crystallization temperature, and emitting a recording beam onto the second data layer in accordance with the second recording pulse sequence, wherein

the second recording sequence satisfies a relation 0.4≦Pet/Pw≦1.5 in which Pet is the erasing top power and Pw is the second recording power, and

the second recording pulse includes a top recording pulse carrying the second erasing power and the second recording power rising from the second erasing power, and at least one multipulse following the top recording pulse, the recording pulse carrying the second bottom power and the second recording power rising from the second bottom power, and the second recording pulse sequence satisfies a relation 0.4≦Tet/Tmp≦1.2 in which Tet is a pulse width of the erasing top pulse and Tmp is a pulse width of the recording pulse that follows the top recording pulse.

2. An optical recording apparatus for a phase-change optical storage medium having a beam-incident surface and a plurality of data layers provided over the surface, each data layer having at least a recording film, comprising:

an encoder to modulate data to be recorded to generate modulated data;

a mark-length generator to generate desired mark-length data based on the modulated data;

a controller to determine whether to record the data to be recorded in a first data layer located most remote from the beam-incident surface among the data layers or a second data layer different from the first data layer and generate an instruction signal based on the determination;

a focus and tracking controller to control focusing and tracking to the first or the second data layer, based on the instruction signal; and

a recorder to emit a recording beam onto each data layer based on the mark-length data, thus forming a recorded mark carrying the data to be recorded in each data layer, based on the instruction signal in which,

when forming a recorded mark in the first data layer, the recorder generates a first recording pulse sequence having at least a first recording pulse carrying a first erasing power and a first recording power rising from the first erasing power, and a first cooling pulse carrying a first bottom power lower than the first erasing power, and emitting a recording beam onto the first data layer, whereas

when forming a recorded mark in the second data layer, the recorder generates a second recording pulse sequence having at least a second recording pulse carrying a second erasing power and a second recording power rising from the second erasing power, a second cooling pulse carrying a second bottom power lower than the second erasing power, and an erasing top pulse carrying an erasing top power higher than the second erasing power, the erasing top pulse also carrying the second erasing power as descending from the erasing top power, in which the second recording pulse, the second cooling pulse and the erasing top pulse are aligned in this order in the second recording pulse sequence so that the erasing top pulse is provided just after the second cooling pulse as the last pulse in the second recording pulse sequence to cause steep temperature rise in the second data layer to a crystallization temperature, and emitting a recording beam onto the second data layer in accordance with the second recording pulse sequence,

wherein the second recording sequence satisfies a relation 0.4≦Pet/Pw≦1.5 in which Pet is the erasing top power and Pw is the second recording power, and

the second recording pulse includes a top recording pulse carrying the second erasing power and the second recording power rising from the second erasing power, and at least one multipulse following the top recording pulse, the recording pulse carrying the second bottom power and the second recording power rising from the second bottom power, and the second recording pulse sequence satisfies a relation 0.4≦Tet/Tmp≦1.2 in which Tet is a pulse width of the erasing top pulse and Tmp is a pulse width of the recording pulse that follows the top recording pulse.

3. The optical recording apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:

a reproducer to reproduce data already recorded in the optical storage medium;

a detector to detect an error rate on the data thus reproduced; and

a controller to set a level of the erasing top power and a pulse width of the erasing top pulse in the second recording pulse sequence to make the error rate minimum and control the recorder with the set level and pulse width.