JP2008165845A - Tape-shaped optical recording medium, its manufacturing method and manufacturing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tape-shaped optical recording medium having less output variation and excellent durability with satisfactory manufacturing efficiency. <P>SOLUTION: In the tape-shaped optical recording medium having at least a reflection layer, a first protective layer, a recording layer and a second protective layer in this order on one principal surface of a flexible supporting body, each of the first and the second protective layers is composed of a metal oxide of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Sn, Ti, Si, Zr and Al, each composition of the metal oxide of the first and the second protective layers has a lower oxygen content on the recording layer side and a higher oxygen content on the side opposite to the recording layer in a thickness direction and the oxygen content on the recording layer side is 10 to 55 at% or lower and the oxygen content on the side opposite to the recording layer is 66 at% or lower. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a tape-shaped optical recording medium, a manufacturing method thereof, and a manufacturing apparatus.

Optical recording media that record and reproduce information by laser light irradiation include disk-shaped optical recording media such as digital audio discs (so-called compact discs) and optical data discs (so-called digital versatile discs). Widely used.
Such disc-shaped optical recording media are classified into three types according to their uses: read-only type, write once type, and rewritable type. Among them, rewritable type optical recording media can be rewritten by erasing recorded information. Highly useful because it can. As a rewritable optical recording medium, a phase change optical recording medium is well known. In this type of optical recording medium, laser light is irradiated to a recording layer having a phase change optical recording material, and the optical recording material is reversibly changed between a crystalline phase and an amorphous phase. Recording marks are formed and erased. That is, at the time of recording, the recording layer in a crystalline state is irradiated with a laser beam, and the irradiated portion is heated to a melting point or higher and partially melted, and then the molten portion is rapidly cooled (rapidly cooled) by thermal diffusion. Amorphization is performed by solidification, and a recording mark corresponding to a recording signal is formed. When erasing, the recording layer in an amorphous state is irradiated with laser light, and the irradiated portion is heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the crystallization temperature, and then gradually cooled (slow cooling) to perform crystallization and recording. Erase the mark. During reproduction, data is reproduced using a difference in reflectance between the amorphous phase and the crystalline phase by irradiating a reproduction laser beam (for example, a laser beam having a wavelength of 405 nm and lower power than that during recording). Play back.

  Further, when such a disk-shaped optical recording medium is used as a rewritable optical recording medium, the recording layer is repeatedly heated and cooled by laser light as described above, and therefore the thermal and mechanical properties of the recording layer are reduced. Deterioration or thermal deformation of the guide groove provided in the base occurs. For this reason, an optical recording medium having a multilayer structure in which protective layers are provided on both sides of the recording layer is employed. For example, a disk-shaped optical recording medium having a protective layer in which a metal or metalloid oxide or the like is used as a base material, and a metal element is added to the base material so as to increase on the recording layer side, a metal chalcogenide, It has a protective layer mainly composed of chalcogenide and a compound that does not dissolve in each other, the composition ratio of the protective layer changes in the thickness direction, and the proportion of the non-solid solution compound is large in the vicinity of the interface contacting the recording layer Disc-shaped optical recording media have been proposed (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

On the other hand, in order to increase the recording capacity in the general-purpose disc-shaped optical recording medium as described above, it is necessary to increase the size of the disc itself or to increase the recording density. There is a problem that an error is likely to occur. In view of this, a tape-like optical recording medium capable of taking a large recording area is being studied as the shape of the recording medium, instead of a disk. For example, a tape-like optical recording medium having a recording layer on one surface of a polymer substrate and a backcoat layer on the other surface and a heat radiation reinforcing layer provided between the polymer substrate and the backcoat layer is proposed. (For example, Patent Document 3)
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-289937 JP-A-2-177141 JP 2004-118960 A

However, in the tape-shaped optical recording medium of Patent Document 3, the heat radiation reinforcing layer for protecting the recording layer is provided between the surface having the recording layer of the flexible support and the back coat layer on the opposite surface. Therefore, thermal deformation of the recording layer that occurs during recording and erasing cannot be sufficiently suppressed.
For this reason, it is possible to apply a protective layer used in a disk-shaped optical recording medium as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 to a tape-shaped optical recording medium, and form protective layers on both upper and lower surfaces of the recording layer. Conceivable.

  However, the tape-shaped optical recording medium can take a large recording area and can increase the recording capacity. On the other hand, it is formed by laminating a recording layer and other layers on a flexible support having a large area at the time of manufacture. Must. For this reason, in order to efficiently produce such a tape-shaped optical recording medium, it is necessary to form a protective layer at a high speed, but the conventional disk-shaped optical recording medium described in Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2 The sputtering method used for forming the protective layer has a very slow layer formation rate. Further, in a long tape-shaped optical recording medium, it is important to provide a protective layer having a uniform thickness and composition over a long distance in order to suppress output fluctuation and obtain high durability. Therefore, the protective layer used in the disk-shaped optical recording medium as described above cannot be applied to the tape-shaped optical recording medium from the viewpoint of production efficiency and the characteristics of the protective layer.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and efficiently forms a protective layer having a uniform thickness and composition in the longitudinal direction of the tape on both sides of the recording layer, thereby having little output fluctuation and excellent durability. Another object is to provide a tape-shaped optical recording medium with high production efficiency.

  As a result of intensive studies on the tape-shaped optical recording medium having the first protective layer and the second protective layer, the present inventors have found that the configuration of the tape-shaped optical recording medium, the production method and the production apparatus is as follows. It has been found that the object can be achieved, and the present invention has been made.

  That is, the present invention is a tape-shaped optical recording medium having at least a reflective layer, a first protective layer, a recording layer, and a second protective layer in this order on one main surface of a flexible support, wherein the first protection The layer and the second protective layer are each made of an oxide of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Sn, Ti, Si, Zr, and Al, and the metal of the first protective layer and the second protective layer. Each of the oxide compositions has a small oxygen content on the recording layer side in the thickness direction, a large oxygen content on the side opposite to the recording layer, and an oxygen content of 10 at% on the recording layer side. The tape-shaped optical recording medium has a content of oxygen of 55 at% or less and an oxygen content opposite to the recording layer of 66 at% or less.

  According to the above configuration, the first protective layer and the second protective layer are each formed of an oxide of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Sn, Ti, Si, Zr, and Al. Each protective layer can be formed by reactive vapor deposition of metal and oxygen. In addition, the metal is excellent in meltability by electron beam irradiation during vapor deposition, and the metal is excellent in reactivity with oxygen when reactive vapor deposition is performed. Therefore, the protective layer can be formed at a higher speed than the sputtering method, and the protective layer is made of a metal oxide having a uniform film thickness and a predetermined oxygen content in the tape longitudinal direction. A layer is obtained. Further, the composition of the metal oxides of the first protective layer and the second protective layer is such that the oxygen content is low on the recording layer side in the thickness direction and the oxygen content is high on the side opposite to the recording layer. A metal oxide with a low oxygen content is formed on the recording layer side, and a metal oxide with a high oxygen content is formed on the side opposite to the recording layer. Therefore, on the recording layer side, when thermal deformation of the recording layer occurs during recording and erasing, the portion made of a metal oxide with a low oxygen content is compared with the portion made of an oxide with a high oxygen content. Since the thermal expansion coefficient is close to that of the recording layer, it can follow the volume change of the recording layer, and has excellent peeling resistance at the interface between the protective layer and the recording layer, and also has excellent cooling effect due to high thermal conductivity. On the other hand, since the oxide having a high oxygen content is formed on the opposite side of the recording layer, a decrease in the transmittance of the entire protective layer can be suppressed. In addition, since the oxygen content on the recording layer side is regulated to 10 at% or more, a decrease in transmittance due to an increase in the metal content can be suppressed, and the oxygen content is regulated to 55 at% or less. Therefore, the difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the protective layer and the recording layer can be reduced, and the peel resistance can be sufficiently improved as compared with a protective layer made of only a metal oxide having a high oxygen content. Then, a metal oxide with a low oxygen content is formed on the recording layer side, and a metal oxide with a high oxygen content of 66 at% or less is formed on the side opposite to the recording layer. Since it is regulated by the range, the internal stress due to the difference in composition is relieved and a protective layer having high transmittance can be obtained. For this reason, it is possible to efficiently produce a tape-like optical recording medium with little output fluctuation and excellent durability.

  The metal oxide is preferably an oxide of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Ti, Si, Zr, and Al. An oxide of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Ti, Si, Zr, and Al exhibits excellent meltability when irradiated with an electron beam and has a high transmittance for short-wavelength laser light. Therefore, according to the above configuration, a tape-shaped optical recording medium capable of high-density recording can be obtained.

  In the composition of the metal oxides of the first protective layer and the second protective layer, it is preferable that the oxygen content decreases continuously toward the recording layer side in the thickness direction. According to the above configuration, since the composition of the metal oxide continuously decreases in the thickness direction toward the recording layer, the internal stress generated by the difference in composition can be further relaxed. Can do.

  Further, in the composition of the metal oxides of the first protective layer and the second protective layer, it is preferable that the oxygen content continuously decreases toward the recording layer in a certain region in the thickness direction. According to the above configuration, the internal stress due to the difference in composition can be relieved in a certain region, and a certain amount of metal oxide with a high oxygen content can be formed on the opposite side of the recording layer. Can be prevented from decreasing.

  Furthermore, the present invention is a method for producing a tape-shaped optical recording medium as described above, wherein an oxygen gas is applied to a vapor stream of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Sn, Ti, Si, Zr, and Al. In the method of manufacturing a tape-shaped optical recording medium, the first protective layer and the second protective layer are formed by depositing an oxide of the metal while allowing the metal and oxygen to react with each other. is there.

  According to the above configuration, at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Sn, Ti, Si, Zr, and Al is excellent in meltability by electron beam irradiation during vapor deposition, and oxygen in the case of reactive vapor deposition. Therefore, a protective layer made of a metal oxide having a uniform film thickness and composition in the longitudinal direction of the tape can be formed by blowing oxygen into the metal vapor stream.

  The present invention is also a manufacturing apparatus for forming the first protective layer of the tape-shaped optical recording medium, comprising a vacuum chamber and a transport means for transporting a flexible support, wherein the vacuum The chamber includes at least one selected from the group consisting of a first cooling drum on which the flexible support is conveyed on a drum, and Sn, Ti, Si, Zr, and Al with respect to the first cooling drum. First vapor flow generating means for injecting a first vapor flow of metal, and first oxygen gas blowing means for blowing oxygen gas from the upstream side to the first vapor flow with respect to the conveying direction of the flexible support; Is a manufacturing apparatus of a tape-shaped optical recording medium.

  According to the above-described configuration, the flexible support is applied to the first vapor flow of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Sn, Ti, Si, Zr, and Al injected from the first vapor flow generation means. Since the first oxygen gas blowing means for blowing oxygen gas from the upstream side with respect to the transport direction of the gas is provided, the metal and oxygen react with each other in a state where the oxygen content is high on the upstream side of the steam flow, and the downstream of the steam flow. On the side, the metal and oxygen react with a low oxygen content. For this reason, a metal oxide having a low oxygen content is deposited on the recording layer side, and a first protective layer is obtained in which a metal oxide having a high oxygen content is deposited on the side opposite to the recording layer.

  Furthermore, the present invention is a manufacturing apparatus for forming the second protective layer of the tape-shaped optical recording medium, comprising a vacuum chamber and a conveying means for conveying a flexible support, The vacuum chamber is at least one selected from the group consisting of a second cooling drum on which the flexible support is conveyed on a drum, and Sn, Ti, Si, Zr, and Al with respect to the second cooling drum. Second steam flow generating means for injecting a second steam flow of a metal of the second type, and a second oxygen gas blow-off for blowing oxygen gas into the second steam flow from the downstream side with respect to the conveying direction of the flexible support And a tape-shaped optical recording medium manufacturing apparatus.

  According to the above-described configuration, the flexible support is applied to the second vapor flow of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Sn, Ti, Si, Zr, and Al injected from the second vapor flow generation means. Since the second oxygen gas blowing means for blowing oxygen gas from the downstream side with respect to the conveying direction is provided, the metal and oxygen react in a state where the oxygen content is low on the upstream side of the steam flow, and the downstream of the steam flow. On the side, the metal and oxygen react with a high oxygen content. Therefore, a second protective layer is obtained in which a metal oxide having a low oxygen content is deposited on the recording layer side and a metal oxide having a high oxygen content is deposited on the side opposite to the recording layer.

  And this invention is a manufacturing apparatus for forming the 1st protective layer and 2nd protective layer of said tape-shaped optical recording medium, Comprising: A 1st protective layer formation chamber and a 2nd protective layer formation chamber are provided. The first protective layer forming chamber includes a first cooling drum on which the flexible support is transported on the drum, and the first cooling layer. First vapor flow generating means for injecting a first vapor flow of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Sn, Ti, Si, Zr, and Al to the cooling drum, and transporting the flexible support First oxygen gas blowing means for blowing oxygen gas into the first vapor flow from the upstream side with respect to the direction, and the second protective layer forming chamber has the flexible support conveyed on the drum. A second cooling drum, and Sn, Ti, Si, Zr, Second vapor flow generating means for injecting a second vapor flow of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Al and Al, and the second vapor flow from the downstream side with respect to the conveying direction of the flexible support. And a second oxygen gas blowing means for blowing oxygen gas.

  According to the above configuration, the first protective layer in which the metal oxide having a low oxygen content is vapor-deposited on the recording layer side and the metal oxide having a high oxygen content is vapor-deposited on the opposite side to the recording layer. A single manufacturing apparatus for forming two protective layers can be provided. For this reason, the production efficiency of the tape-shaped optical recording medium can be further improved.

  According to the tape-shaped optical recording medium of the present invention, it is possible to efficiently form the first protective layer and the second protective layer having a uniform film thickness and a uniform metal oxide composition in the longitudinal direction of the tape. . Therefore, it is possible to efficiently produce a tape-like optical recording medium with little output fluctuation and excellent durability. Moreover, according to the method for producing the tape-shaped optical recording medium of the present invention, the first protective layer and the second protective layer are formed by reactive vapor deposition, and therefore the tape-shaped optical recording medium can be produced efficiently. it can. Furthermore, according to the apparatus for manufacturing a tape-shaped optical recording medium of the present invention, the first protective layer and the second protective layer made of a metal oxide having a predetermined composition can be efficiently manufactured.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a tape-shaped optical recording medium according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this tape-shaped optical recording medium 1, a tracking layer 3, a reflective layer 4, a first protective layer 5, a recording layer 6, and a second protective layer 7 are sequentially laminated on one main surface of a flexible support 2. The back layer 8 is formed on the other main surface of the flexible support 2.

  In the tape-shaped optical recording medium 1 of the present embodiment, the first protective layer 5 and the second protective layer 7 are each oxidized with at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Sn, Ti, Si, Zr, and Al. The composition of the metal oxides of the first protective layer 5 and the second protective layer 7 has a small oxygen content on the recording layer 6 side in the thickness direction, and on the side opposite to the recording layer 6. The oxygen content is large, the oxygen content on the recording layer 6 side is 10 at% or more and 55 at% or less, and the oxygen content on the side opposite to the recording layer 6 is 66 at% or less. And

  In order to form the protective layer in this embodiment, first, a method capable of forming a layer at high speed was studied. That is, the sputtering method used for forming the protective layer of the conventional disk-shaped optical recording medium has a low layer formation speed of 5 m / min or less. Further, an evaporation method capable of forming a protective layer at a higher speed than the sputtering method has been studied. However, in the evaporation method using a single base material, it is necessary to use a metal oxide as the base material. However, since metal oxide has high electrical resistance, it is difficult for the electron beam to flow to the ground, and it is difficult to increase the power of the electron gun because the base material is scattered by the charge accumulated in the base material. It was confirmed that only a layer formation speed of about 5 m / min or less could be used. Therefore, the sputtering method or the vapor deposition method using a metal oxide as a single base material is not suitable for a tape-like optical recording medium that requires a long layer formation. For this reason, the reactive vapor deposition method in which metal is used as a base material and vapor deposition is performed while reacting metal and oxygen is studied from the viewpoint that a protective layer made of metal oxide can be uniformly formed at high speed. It was broken.

  When the protective layer is formed by the reactive vapor deposition method, the metal in the crucible is irradiated with an electron beam. However, when the molten state of the metal is not uniform, melting proceeds only in a part irradiated with the electron beam. For this reason, the reduction rate of the metal due to evaporation in the crucible differs between the electron beam irradiated portion and its vicinity and other portions. As a result, the position and temperature of the evaporation source in the crucible vary and a uniform protective layer cannot be obtained. Accordingly, in the reactive vapor deposition method, the metal needs to be uniformly melted in the crucible. From this point of view, as a result of examining the meltability of various metals conventionally used for the protective layer of the optical disk-shaped optical recording medium, Sn, It has been confirmed that Ti, Si, Zr, Al, and In are uniformly melted by electron beam irradiation. On the other hand, when metals such as Zn or Cr used in the conventional sputtering method are applied to the reactive vapor deposition method, only the portion irradiated with the electron beam and the vicinity thereof melt and the other portions melt. Become imperfect.

  2A and 2B are diagrams showing the meltability of a metal. FIG. 2A is a photograph showing a state after melting and cooling of Al, and FIG. 2B is a photograph showing a state after melting and cooling of Zn. It is. As shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), it can be seen that the entire surface of Al is smoothly melted, whereas only a part of Zn is melted. For this reason, when the metal which shows a non-uniform molten state like Zn etc. is applied to the reactive vapor deposition method, the protective layer of a uniform film thickness cannot be obtained.

  In addition, when a metal oxide is formed by a reactive vapor deposition method while reacting the metal and oxygen, the reactivity between the base metal and oxygen is also important. That is, in the case of a metal inferior in reactivity with oxygen, oxygen is not sufficiently taken into the protective layer, and a portion having a metal-rich composition is generated, and the transmittance of the protective layer tends to be lowered at that portion. For this reason, at the time of recording / reproducing, the absorption of the laser beam is increased at the above portion, and the output tends to decrease. From the above viewpoint, each metal having excellent meltability is used as a base material, and oxygen gas is blown into the vapor flow of these metals, and vapor deposition is performed while reacting the metal and oxygen. As a result, Sn, Ti, Si, Zr , And Al metal, it was confirmed that a protective layer made of a metal oxide having excellent transmittance was obtained without a metal-rich composition.

FIG. 3 shows the results of this study, and is a diagram showing the relationship between the laser beam wavelength and the transmittance of a protective layer made of various metal oxides formed by reactive vapor deposition. In order to match the conditions, a glass substrate was used as the substrate, the inside of the vacuum chamber was evacuated to 5 × 10 ⁻³ Pa, and the electron gun power was gradually increased to 1.6 kW while the mother material was dissolved. After performing, it was performed using the sample which introduce | transduced oxygen gas in the apparatus to the vacuum degree of 1 * 10 < ^-1 > Pa, and formed the film | membrane which consists of an oxide of each metal with a film thickness of 200 nm on the glass substrate. is there. As shown in FIG. 3, the oxides of Sn, Ti, Si, Zr, and Al exhibit excellent transmittance at wavelengths of 600 nm or more. In particular, the oxides of Ti, Si, Zr, and Al have long wavelengths. It was confirmed that excellent transmittance was exhibited in any short wavelength region. In contrast, In was excellent in meltability, but has a large wavelength dependence characteristic as shown in FIG. 3, and the transmittance is lowered particularly in a short wavelength region. This is presumably because In is inferior in reactivity with oxygen and a metal-rich protective layer with low transmittance is formed. For this reason, when such a metal having poor reactivity is used as a base material, a medium having a long distance such as a tape-like optical recording medium has a low transmittance portion, and is used for high density recording. For example, in a recording / reproducing apparatus using a laser beam having a short wavelength of 650 nm or less, sufficient output cannot be obtained.

  As described above, the metal species for forming the protective layer made of the metal oxide was determined by the reactive vapor deposition method. However, in the protective layer made only of the metal oxide of the single composition, the heat of the recording layer was determined. Peeling resistance or transmittance due to deformation cannot be sufficiently obtained, and neither durability nor output when used as a tape-shaped optical recording medium is sufficiently improved. The reason for this is that when the recording layer undergoes thermal deformation during recording and erasing, the recording layer side of the protective layer is required to follow the deformation and have a cooling effect. This is because a rate is required. From the above viewpoint, as a result of examining the composition of the metal oxides of the first protective layer and the second protective layer, the metal oxides having different oxygen contents on the recording layer side and the opposite side of the recording layer in the thickness direction It has been found that the composition is sufficient. That is, if a metal oxide with a low oxygen content is formed on the recording layer side, a metal oxide with a high metal content is formed on the recording layer side. Deterioration in durability, specifically, preventing peeling at the interface between the recording layer and the protective layer due to stress generated due to the difference in thermal expansion coefficient when repeated rapid heating and cooling with laser light Can do. On the other hand, if a metal oxide having a high oxygen content is formed on the side opposite to the recording layer, a protective layer in which a decrease in transmittance is suppressed can be obtained.

  And in the composition of the metal oxide of the protective layer, in order to achieve both durability and transmittance, the transmittance of the entire protective layer, recording on the recording layer side, followability to deformation of the recording layer during erasure As a result of examination from the viewpoint of relaxation of internal stress caused by differences in thermal expansion coefficients of metal oxides having different compositions, the oxygen content on the recording layer side and the opposite side of the recording layer in each protective layer is constant. It was found that the range should be regulated. That is, in the composition of the metal oxide, if the oxygen content on the recording layer side is 10 at% or more, preferably 15 at% or more and 55 at% or less, a decrease in transmittance can be suppressed and deformation of the recording layer can be prevented. A sufficiently followable protective layer is obtained. If it is less than 10 at%, the metal content becomes too high and the transmittance is lowered. On the other hand, if it exceeds 55 at%, a metal oxide containing a large amount of oxygen is formed on the recording layer side. The difference in coefficient of thermal expansion from the layer increases, and the peel resistance decreases. Further, if the oxygen content on the side opposite to the recording layer is 66 at% or less, the internal stress due to the difference in composition is alleviated and a protective layer having high transmittance can be obtained. The lower limit of the oxygen content on the side opposite to the recording layer is not particularly limited as long as it is higher than the oxygen content on the recording layer side, but it is preferably 50 at% or more, more preferably above 60 at%. .

  Further, in the composition of the metal oxides of the first protective layer and the second protective layer, it is preferable that the oxygen content continuously decreases toward the recording layer side in the thickness direction. If the protective layer is made of a metal oxide having the above composition, the oxygen content continuously decreases in the thickness direction toward the recording layer side, so the internal stress generated by the difference in composition is further alleviated. can do. Further, the oxygen content may be continuously decreased from the side opposite to the recording layer toward the recording layer only in a certain region. In this case, a metal oxide having a high oxygen content can be formed at a constant thickness on the opposite side of the recording layer, so that a protective layer having a higher transmittance can be obtained. In addition, although the thickness of a 1st protective layer and a 2nd protective layer is not specifically limited, 10-80 nm is respectively preferable.

  In the tape-shaped optical recording medium of the present embodiment, a conventionally known transparent flexible polymer material can be used as the flexible support. Specifically, for example, films having appropriate strength and smoothness such as polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene naphthalate used for magnetic tapes, polyamides and polyimides can be mentioned. The thickness of the flexible support is preferably 3 to 10 μm. If it is a flexible support having a thickness of 3 μm or more, the tape strength can be increased and the reliability can be improved, and if it is a flexible support having a thickness of 10 μm or less, the volume of the tape can be reduced. A tape-like optical recording medium having a large recording capacity used for a computer tape or the like can be obtained.

  As the recording layer, known optical recording materials can be used. Specifically, inorganic optical recording materials, such as Ge-Te, Ge-Sb-Te, In-Sb-Te, Bi-Ge-Te, are mentioned, for example. These optical recording materials can be used singly or in combination or combination. The recording layer is preferably formed by sputtering. When a recording layer is formed by vapor deposition using such a two-component or three-component metal, the evaporation rate varies depending on the saturation vapor pressure of each metal element, and the layer having a desired component ratio is stabilized. Tend to be difficult to obtain. The thickness of the recording layer is usually 3 to 20 nm.

  As the reflective layer, highly reflective and chemically stable metals such as Al, Ti, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ta, W, and Pt, or alloys thereof Can be used. Among these, Al, Ti, Cr, Zn and the like are excellent in terms of material cost. Such a reflective layer is preferably formed by a vapor deposition method. The thickness of the reflective layer is usually 20 to 150 nm.

  The tracking layer can be formed using a conventionally known radiation curable resin. Of these, a bifunctional or higher radiation curable resin having good curability is preferable. Specific examples include acrylic acid esters, acrylamides, methacrylic acid esters, methacrylic acid amides, allyl compounds, vinyl ethers, vinyl esters and the like. The tracking layer is flexible between an embossing roll having a concavo-convex shape on a surface and a support roll after, for example, applying a radiation curable resin composition to a flexible support to be conveyed to form a resin layer. It is preferable that the support is transported and the resin layer formed on the flexible support is pressed against the embossing roll and irradiated with active energy rays, and the resin layer is shaped and cured. The thickness of the tracking layer is usually 0.1 to 5 μm.

  In the tape-shaped optical recording medium of the present embodiment, in addition to the above layers, another protective layer may be provided between the recording layer and the reflective layer as necessary.

  In the tape-shaped optical recording medium, it is preferable to form the back layer on the surface opposite to the surface on which the recording layer or the like of the flexible support is provided after each layer as described above is formed on the flexible support. . The back layer may be in any conventionally known form, for example, formed by a conventionally known thin film forming process such as CVD, sputtering, or vapor deposition, or coated with carbon black dispersed in a resin. May be formed as a backcoat layer. In addition, the back layer may be scraped by laser irradiation or the like to form a pattern portion having a reflectance different from that of other portions, and a servo track may be formed. Accurate tracing is possible, and recording and playback with few errors can be performed.

  Next, a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing the tape-shaped optical recording medium of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of a tape-shaped optical recording medium manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment. The manufacturing apparatus 40 of this embodiment includes a reflective layer forming chamber 50, a first protective layer forming chamber 60, a recording layer forming chamber 70, a second protective layer forming chamber 80, and a film transfer chamber in a vacuum chamber 41. However, these layers are not necessarily formed continuously in the same manufacturing apparatus, and each layer may be a manufacturing apparatus for forming a single layer. However, it is preferable to form all layers in a single apparatus in consideration of production efficiency, the influence of dust, and the like.

  The vacuum chamber 41 includes an exhaust unit (not shown) in each layer forming chamber so that the inside can be exhausted to a predetermined degree of vacuum. The film transfer chamber 90 includes a film unwinding portion 91 a as a transfer means 91 for transferring the flexible support 2, a film take-up portion 91 b for winding the transferred flexible support, and a guide roll 92. Yes. The reflective layer forming chamber 50 and the first protective layer forming chamber 60 share the first cooling drum 101 on which the flexible support 2 is wound around the outer peripheral surface and conveyed. Similarly, the recording layer forming chamber 70 and the second protective layer forming chamber 80 share the second cooling drum 102. These cooling drums may be provided independently in each layer forming chamber. However, by sharing one cooling drum among a plurality of layer forming chambers, the number of conveying members can be reduced, thereby simplifying the apparatus. Can do. Therefore, for example, a single cooling drum may be provided, and each layer forming chamber may be disposed around the cooling drum so that all layers are formed on the single cooling drum. In this case, the first cooling drum also serves as the second cooling drum.

  The reflective layer forming chamber 50 includes a crucible 51 a and an electron gun 51 b as the reflective layer forming vapor deposition means 51. The first protective layer forming chamber 60 includes a crucible 61a and an electron gun 61b, which are first vapor flow generating means 61, and a first oxygen gas blowing means 62 for blowing oxygen gas to the first vapor flow 63. . The first oxygen gas blowing means 62 blows oxygen gas from the upstream side to the first vapor flow 63 with respect to the conveyance direction of the flexible support 2 conveyed on the outer peripheral surface of the first cooling drum 101. Are disposed adjacent to the first cooling drum 101. The recording layer forming chamber 70 includes a plurality of magnetron cathodes 71 as sputtering means. The second protective layer forming chamber 80 includes a crucible 81 a and an electron gun 81 b as second vapor flow generating means 81, and second oxygen gas blowing means 82 for blowing oxygen gas to the second vapor flow 83. . The second oxygen gas blowing means 82 blows oxygen gas from the downstream side to the second steam flow 83 with respect to the conveyance direction of the flexible support 2 conveyed on the outer peripheral surface of the second cooling drum 102. Are disposed adjacent to the second cooling drum 102. In the drawing, the oxygen gas blowing means A and B in the first protective layer forming chamber 60 and the second protective layer forming chamber 80 indicate positions where oxygen gas blowing means used in comparative examples described later are provided. belongs to.

  In the production of the tape-shaped optical recording medium, first, the flexible support 2 is placed along the outer peripheral surface of the cooling drums 101 and 102 from the film unwinding portion 91a in the film transport chamber 90 and wound by the film winding portion 91b. After being set as described above, the inside of the vacuum chamber 41 is exhausted to a predetermined degree of vacuum by an exhaust means (not shown). A tracking layer is formed on one surface side of the flexible support 2, and the surface provided with the tracking layer is conveyed so as to be an outer peripheral surface. Next, the flexible support 2 is conveyed to the reflection layer forming chamber 50 at a predetermined speed. In the reflection layer forming chamber 50, the crucible 51a is irradiated with the electron beam E emitted from the electron gun 51b. As a result, Al or the like, which is a reflective layer material, evaporates from the crucible 51a and is deposited on the flexible support 2.

  The flexible support 2 on which the reflective layer is formed is conveyed to the first protective layer forming chamber 60 along the outer peripheral surface of the first cooling drum 101. In the first protective layer forming chamber 60, the first vapor flow 63 is generated by irradiating the electron beam E from the electron gun 61b and evaporating the metal disposed in the crucible 61a. Then, oxygen gas is blown out by the first oxygen gas blowing means 62 from the upstream side to the generated first vapor flow 63. Thereby, it is possible to form a state in which the oxygen concentration is high on the upstream side of the first vapor flow 63 and the oxygen concentration is low on the downstream side. A metal oxide is formed on the reflective layer while the metal and oxygen in the first vapor stream 63 react. For this reason, the composition of the metal oxide in the first protective layer has a continuous oxygen content on the reflective layer side (opposite side of the recording layer) in the thickness direction, and the recording to be formed next. The oxygen content is reduced on the layer side.

  Next, the flexible support 2 on which the first protective layer is formed is once transported to the film transport chamber 90 and then transported to the recording layer forming chamber 70 along the outer peripheral surface of the second cooling drum 102. . In the recording layer forming chamber 70, plasma is generated by applying a high voltage to the magnetron cathode 71 while introducing an inert gas from an inert gas introduction section (not shown). As a result, positive ions in the plasma are struck against a target made of an optical recording material disposed on the magnetron cathode 71, and the target material that has jumped out is sputtered onto the flexible support 2.

  Finally, the flexible support 2 on which the recording layer is formed is conveyed to the second protective layer forming chamber 80 along the outer peripheral surface of the second cooling drum 102. In the second protective layer forming chamber 80, the electron beam E is irradiated from the electron gun 81b, and the metal disposed in the crucible 81a evaporates to generate the second vapor flow 83. Then, oxygen gas is blown out from the downstream side of the generated second vapor flow 83 by the second oxygen gas blowing means 82. Thereby, it is possible to form a state in which the oxygen concentration is high on the downstream side of the second vapor flow 83 and the oxygen concentration is low on the upstream side. Then, a metal oxide is formed on the recording layer while the metal in the second vapor flow 83 reacts with oxygen. Therefore, in the composition of the metal oxide in the second protective layer, the oxygen content continuously decreases in the thickness direction on the recording layer side and increases on the opposite side to the recording layer in the thickness direction. .

As described above, a tape-shaped optical recording medium in which each layer is formed on a flexible support is produced. In recording and erasing information on the tape-shaped optical recording medium of the present embodiment, a laser beam is projected from the side of the flexible support on which the recording layer is provided, and the recording layer is interposed via the second protective layer. Recording and erasing of predetermined information is performed by causing an optical change in the information. Further, in reproducing information, laser light is similarly projected, and predetermined information is reproduced by reading an optical change of the recording layer through the second protective layer.
EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example is given and this invention is demonstrated further more concretely, this invention is not limited to these Examples.

(Example 1)
A polyethylene terephthalate film having a thickness of 6 μm was used as the flexible support. One surface of this polyethylene terephthalate film is coated with a radiation curable resin (DPE-6A: manufactured by Kyoeisha Chemical Co., dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate, hexafunctional) at a line speed of 20 m / min by a roll coating method so as to have a thickness of 1 μm. And a resin layer was formed. After that, an embossing roll having unevenness on the resin layer (irregularity interval: 0.8 μm, unevenness height: 0.05 μm) is pressed to form an uneven shape on the surface of the resin layer, and ultraviolet rays (300 mJ / cm) with an ultraviolet irradiation machine. By irradiating ² ), the resin layer was cured and a polyethylene terephthalate film having a tracking layer was produced.

Using the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 4, a reflective layer, a first protective layer, a recording layer, and a second protective layer were sequentially formed on the flexible support on which the tracking layer was formed as follows. First, Al is contained in the crucible 51a of the reflective layer forming chamber 50, Si in granular form is contained in the crucible 61a of the first protective layer forming chamber 60, and Ge is used as a sputtering source on the magnetron sputter in the recording layer forming chamber 70. ₂ Sb ₂ Te ₅ and granular Zr were set in the crucible 81a of the second protective layer forming chamber 80, respectively. Next, the vacuum chamber 41 was evacuated to 5 × 10 ⁻³ Pa by an evacuation unit.

In the reflection layer forming chamber 50, the crucible 51a was irradiated with an electron beam from the electron gun 51b to evaporate Al and deposit a reflective layer of Al with a thickness of 50 nm. In the first protective layer forming chamber 60, the crucible 61a is irradiated with an electron beam from an electron gun 61b to generate a vapor stream of Si, and oxygen gas is emitted from a nozzle arranged as the first oxygen gas blowing means 62 in this vapor stream. Was blown at 2800 sccm (standard cc / min) (1 atm, 0.168 m ³ / h in an atmosphere of 0 ° C.), and a first protective layer made of an oxide of Si was deposited on the reflective layer to a thickness of 25 nm. In the recording layer forming chamber 70, a DC voltage was applied to the magnetron cathode 71, and Ge ₂ Sb ₂ Te ₅ was sputtered to a thickness of 5 nm. In the second protective layer forming chamber 80, the crucible 81 a is irradiated with an electron beam from an electron gun 81 b to generate a Zr vapor flow, and oxygen gas is emitted from a nozzle arranged as the second oxygen gas blowing means 82 to this vapor flow. Was blown at 2800 sccm (standard cc / min) (1 atm, 0.168 m ³ / h in 0 ° C. atmosphere), and a second protective layer made of an oxide of Zr was deposited on the recording layer to a thickness of 20 nm. The first protective layer and the second protective layer were formed at a rate of 52 m / min, and the thickness of each protective layer and the reflective layer was adjusted by the power and transport speed of each electron gun. A back coat layer in which carbon black is dispersed in a resin is applied to the opposite surface of the flexible support on which each layer is formed as described above to a thickness of 0.5 μm with a gravure coater. A tape-shaped optical recording medium was produced by slitting in the width.

(Example 2)
In the production of the tape-shaped optical recording medium of Example 1, the oxygen gas blowing amounts from the first oxygen gas blowing means 62 and the second oxygen gas blowing means 82 were 2400 sccm (standard cc / min) (1 atm, 0 ° C. atmosphere), respectively. A tape-shaped optical recording medium was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the thickness was 0.144 m ³ / h).

(Comparative Example 1)
In the production of the tape-shaped optical recording medium of Example 1, a magnetron cathode is disposed in place of the reflective layer forming vapor deposition means 51, the first vapor flow generation means 61, and the second vapor flow generation means 81, and all the layers are formed. A tape-shaped optical recording medium was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that it was formed by sputtering. In addition, in order to set it as the same thickness as Example 1, the layer formation speed | rate of the 1st protective layer and the 2nd protective layer was 4 m / min.

(Comparative Example 2)
In the production of the tape-shaped optical recording medium of Example 1, the tape was formed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that Zn was set in the crucible 81a instead of Zr and a second protective layer made of an oxide of Zn was formed. An optical recording medium was produced.

(Comparative Example 3)
In the production of the tape-shaped optical recording medium of Example 1, the tape was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that In was set in place of Si in the crucible 61a and the first protective layer made of an oxide of In was formed. An optical recording medium was produced.

(Comparative Example 4)
In the production of the tape-shaped optical recording medium of Example 1, nozzles are arranged as oxygen gas blowing means at positions A and B in FIG. 4 instead of the first oxygen gas blowing means 62 and the second oxygen gas blowing means 82. Then, a tape-shaped optical recording medium was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the oxygen gas blowing rate was 4000 sccm (standard cc / min) (1 atm, 0.240 m ³ / h in 0 ° C. atmosphere).
The following evaluation was performed on each tape-shaped optical recording medium manufactured as described above. Table 1 shows these results.

<C / N>
C / N was measured using the recording / reproducing tester shown in the schematic block diagram of FIG. The arbitrary waveform generator 201 generates a predetermined signal, inputs the signal to the pickup head 203 that is controlled to move by the servo circuit 206 via the laser driver 202, and the spindle motor 205 that is rotationally controlled by the motor controller 207 to the drum 204. A signal was written on the tape-shaped optical recording medium 1 while rotating the wound tape-shaped optical recording medium 1.

  Next, a signal was taken into the oscilloscope 210 via the pickup head 203, the signal circuit 208, and the signal processing circuit 209, the signal (C) and the noise (N) were obtained by the spectrum analyzer 211, and C / N was measured. The writing / reproducing conditions are: speed 3.5 m / s, bit length 0.267 μm, laser light wavelength 650 nm, NA 0.65, laser writing power 10 mW, reproducing power 0.7 mW, writing signal 3T (recording frequency 8.75 MHz). ).

<Film thickness>
The film thickness was measured using a spectrophotometer F20-UV manufactured by Filmetrics. For each tape-shaped optical recording medium 50 m, 26 points of reflectance are measured in the wavelength range of 400 to 800 nm, and the complex refractive index of each protective layer measured in advance with the same spectrophotometer is used as a basic equation for multiple interference of light ( The average film thickness was measured from “Thin Film”, Chapter 5, P. 197-200, written by Satoshi Kanehara and Hideo Fujiwara, 1987, Tsuji Shobo). Using this average film thickness, the film thickness variation (%) was calculated by the following equation.
Film thickness variation (%) = [(maximum value of film thickness−minimum value of film thickness) / average value of film thickness] × 100

<Oxygen content>
The oxygen content of each protective layer was measured using an Auger electron spectrometer model 680 manufactured by ULVAC-PHI. While etching the protective layer of each tape-shaped optical recording medium with Ar plasma, the interface portion between the first protective layer, the reflective layer and the recording layer, the interface portion between the second protective layer and the recording layer, and the surface layer of the second protective layer About the part, content of the oxygen atom of the thickness direction was measured. Five locations were measured, and the average value was defined as the oxygen content at each position. The tape-like optical recording medium in which the oxygen content changed depending on the measurement location is shown in Table 1 together with the fluctuation range.

<Durability>
The durability was measured using the apparatus shown in FIG. 5 used in C / N measurement. The signal was repeatedly recorded and reproduced under the same conditions as in the C / N measurement, the change in the output of the reproduction signal after the first and 50,000 rewrites was measured, and the change rate of the reproduction signal was measured from the following equation.
Change rate of reproduction signal (%) = [(initial signal output−signal output after 50,000 times) / initial signal output] × 100

As shown in Table 1, it can be seen that the tape-shaped optical recording media of Examples 1 and 2 have good C / N, excellent recording / reproduction characteristics, and excellent durability. In addition, these examples show that the layer formation speed is high and the productivity is good. On the other hand, it can be seen that Comparative Example 1 in which the sputtering method is used for forming both protective layers has a low layer forming speed and is not suitable for forming a layer at a high speed. Further, in the sputtering method, the oxygen concentration difference between the upstream side and the downstream side on the cooling drum becomes small due to the influence of the generated plasma ions. For this reason, the difference in the oxygen content in the thickness direction in each protective layer is reduced. As a result, the oxygen atom content at the recording layer side interface of each protective layer is increased, and the durability is lowered. Further, in Comparative Example 2 in which the second protective layer made of the oxide of Zn was formed, not only the film thickness variation was large because Zn was not melted uniformly by the electron beam, but also the oxygen content on the recording layer side. Since the fluctuation is large, the C / N fluctuation is large and the durability is also lowered. Furthermore, in Comparative Example 3 in which the first protective layer made of the In oxide was formed, the reactivity between In and oxygen was low, so that the In oxide was not generated well, and the permeability was lowered. C / N has decreased. Further, Comparative Example 4 in which the first protective layer and the second protective layer made of oxides of Si and Zr, which have a large oxygen content and the oxygen content does not change in the thickness direction, was formed in the recording layer and the protective layer. Since the interface with the layer is easily peeled off, the durability is lowered.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the film thickness variation in the tape longitudinal direction over the tape length of 50 m of each protective layer of Example 1 and Comparative Example 2, and FIG. 6A shows the film thickness variation of the first protective layer. FIG. 5B shows the film thickness variation of the second protective layer. As shown in FIG. 6A, both Example 1 and Comparative Example 2 use Si having excellent meltability in forming the first protective layer, so that a protective layer having a uniform thickness is obtained. It has been. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6B, in the formation of the second protective layer, the protective layer having a uniform thickness was obtained in Example 1 in which Zr having excellent meltability was used. In Comparative Example 2 in which Zn having poor meltability was used, it can be seen that a protective layer having a large film thickness variation in the longitudinal direction of the tape is formed.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the oxygen atom content in the thickness direction of each protective layer over the tape length of 50 m of the protective layers of Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Example 4 (a) is the first protective layer. FIG. 4B shows the oxygen atom content of the second protective layer. As shown in these drawings, oxygen gas is blown out from the upstream side in the formation of the first protective layer and from the downstream side in the formation of the second protective layer, respectively, and oxygen is generated at the upstream side and the downstream side of the metal vapor flow. In Examples 1 and 2 in which each protective layer is formed with a gradient in concentration, the protective layer is directed from the opposite side of the recording layer toward the recording layer in the thickness direction according to the amount of oxygen gas blown out. It can be seen that a protective layer can be obtained in which the oxygen content continuously decreases in a constant region of approximately half the thickness. On the other hand, in Comparative Example 4 in which each protective layer was formed without an oxygen concentration gradient, a protective layer made of an oxide having a high oxygen content was formed over the entire thickness range of the protective layer. You can see that

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing changes in reproduction output when the tape-shaped optical recording media of Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Example 4 are repeatedly recorded and reproduced. As shown in the figure, in Examples 1 and 2 having the first protective layer and the second protective layer in which the oxygen content is changed in the thickness direction, the reproduction output is little changed and the durability is good. I understand. In particular, in any of the compositions of the metal oxides of the first protective layer and the second protective layer, the oxygen content on the side opposite to the recording layer is 66 at%, and the oxygen content on the recording layer side is 15 at%. In Example 2 in which the protective layer having a large gradient of the decreasing rate of the oxygen content from the side opposite to the recording layer to the recording layer side in the thickness direction is formed, the decrease in reproduction output is extremely small. On the other hand, in Comparative Example 4, the output greatly decreases from the time when it exceeds 10,000 times.

It is sectional drawing which shows typically an example of the tape-shaped optical recording medium which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the meltability of a metal, The figure (a) shows the state after melting and cooling of Al, and the figure (b) shows the state after melting and cooling of Zn. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the laser beam wavelength and the transmittance | permeability of the protective layer which consists of various metal oxides formed by the reactive vapor deposition method. It is a schematic block diagram which shows an example of the manufacturing apparatus of the tape-shaped optical recording medium which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the recording / reproducing test machine used for evaluation in the Example. It is a figure which shows the film thickness fluctuation | variation of the tape longitudinal direction over the tape length of 50 m of each protective layer of Example 1 and Comparative Example 2, The figure (a) shows the film thickness fluctuation | variation of a 1st protective layer, the figure (b). Indicates the film thickness variation of the second protective layer. It is a figure which shows oxygen atom content in the thickness direction over tape length 50m of each protective layer of Examples 1-2 and Comparative Example 4, The figure (a) shows oxygen atom content of the 1st protective layer, FIG. 4B shows the oxygen atom content of the second protective layer. It is a figure which shows the change of the reproduction output when the tape-shaped optical recording medium of Examples 1-2 and the comparative example 4 are repeatedly recorded and reproduced.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tape-shaped optical recording medium 2 Flexible support body 3 Tracking layer 4 Reflective layer 5 1st protective layer 6 Recording layer 7 2nd protective layer 8 Back layer 40 Manufacturing apparatus 41 Vacuum chamber 60 1st protective layer formation chamber 61 1st Steam flow generating means 62 First oxygen gas blowing means 63 First steam flow 80 Second protective layer forming chamber 81 Second steam flow generating means 82 Second oxygen gas blowing means 83 Second steam flow 91 Conveying means 101 First cooling drum 102 Second cooling drum

Claims (8)

A tape-shaped optical recording medium having at least a reflective layer, a first protective layer, a recording layer, and a second protective layer in this order on one main surface of a flexible support,
Each of the first protective layer and the second protective layer is made of an oxide of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Sn, Ti, Si, Zr, and Al,
Each of the metal oxide compositions of the first protective layer and the second protective layer has a low oxygen content on the recording layer side and a high oxygen content on the opposite side of the recording layer in the thickness direction, and A tape-shaped optical recording medium in which the oxygen content on the recording layer side is 10 at% or more and 55 at% or less, and the oxygen content on the side opposite to the recording layer is 66 at% or less.   2. The tape-shaped optical recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the metal oxide is an oxide of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Ti, Si, Zr, and Al.   The tape-like composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the composition of the metal oxides of the first protective layer and the second protective layer, the oxygen content continuously decreases toward the recording layer side in the thickness direction. Optical recording medium.   3. The composition of the metal oxides of the first protective layer and the second protective layer according to claim 1, wherein the oxygen content continuously decreases toward the recording layer in a certain region in the thickness direction. Tape-shaped optical recording medium. It is a manufacturing method of the tape-shaped optical recording medium given in any 1 paragraph of Claims 1-4,
The metal oxide is vapor-deposited while oxygen gas is blown into a vapor stream of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Sn, Ti, Si, Zr, and Al, and the metal and the oxygen react with each other. A method for manufacturing a tape-shaped optical recording medium, in which the first protective layer and the second protective layer are respectively formed. A manufacturing apparatus for forming the first protective layer of the tape-shaped optical recording medium according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A vacuum chamber and a transport means for transporting the flexible support;
The vacuum chamber is at least one selected from the group consisting of a first cooling drum in which the flexible support is conveyed on a drum, and Sn, Ti, Si, Zr, and Al with respect to the first cooling drum. A first vapor flow generating means for injecting a first vapor flow of a metal of the kind, and a first oxygen gas blowout for blowing oxygen gas into the first vapor flow from the upstream side with respect to the conveying direction of the flexible support. And a tape-shaped optical recording medium manufacturing apparatus. It is a manufacturing apparatus for forming the 2nd protective layer of the tape-shaped optical recording medium of any one of Claims 1-4,
A vacuum chamber and transport means for transporting the flexible support;
The vacuum chamber is at least one selected from the group consisting of a second cooling drum on which the flexible support is conveyed on a drum, and Sn, Ti, Si, Zr, and Al with respect to the second cooling drum. Second steam flow generating means for injecting a second steam flow of a metal of the second type, and a second oxygen gas blow-off for blowing oxygen gas into the second steam flow from the downstream side with respect to the conveying direction of the flexible support And a tape-shaped optical recording medium manufacturing apparatus. A manufacturing apparatus for forming the first protective layer and the second protective layer of the tape-shaped optical recording medium according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A vacuum chamber comprising a first protective layer forming chamber and a second protective layer forming chamber; and a transport means for transporting the flexible support.
The first protective layer forming chamber includes a first cooling drum on which the flexible support is conveyed on a drum, and a group consisting of Sn, Ti, Si, Zr, and Al with respect to the first cooling drum. First vapor flow generating means for injecting a first vapor flow of at least one selected metal, and oxygen gas blown out into the first vapor flow from the upstream side with respect to the conveying direction of the flexible support. 1 oxygen gas blowing means,
The second protective layer forming chamber includes a second cooling drum on which the flexible support is conveyed on a drum, and a group consisting of Sn, Ti, Si, Zr, and Al with respect to the second cooling drum. Second vapor flow generating means for injecting a second vapor flow of at least one selected metal; and oxygen gas blown out into the second vapor flow from the downstream side with respect to the conveying direction of the flexible support. A tape-shaped optical recording medium manufacturing apparatus comprising: 2 oxygen gas blowing means.