OPTICAL RECORDING MEDIUM

PURPOSE:To shield the intrusion of external light into a photochromic compd. of the lowermost layer and to allow stable optical recording and displaying of information at a high speed with the optical recording medium by using a polarizing film to polarize external light to coherent light in the layer upper than the photochromic compd. layer and using a liquid crystal layer with the orientation to be perpendicular to the polarized light thereof in the next layer. CONSTITUTION:The photochromic compd. layer 10 and a liquid crystal phase 11 which is laminated on the layer 10, is solid within the temp. range at the time of operation and has isotropy at the temp. above the temp. at the time of the operation are provided. The polarizing film 12 is fixed in the polarization direction and is so laminated on the liquid crystal phase 11 that the optical axis thereof intersects nearly orthogonally with the optical axis of the liquid crystal phase 11. The liquid crystal phase 11 is always crossed nicols with the polarizing film 12 of the outermost layer in the case of using the liquid crystal which does not annihilate the liquid crystallinity within the environmental temp. at which the recording medium is used. The polarization of the external light can be shielded within this temp. The accidental annihilation of the record by the photochromic compd. layer 10 of the lowermost layer is prevented in this way and the stable optical recording and displaying of the information at the high speed are executed.