An optical information recording medium includes a substrate formed in a
concave-convex state by providing pits or grooves corresponding to
recorded information, used for optically reproducing the information by
irradiation of a light beam, and may also include a recording layer. The
optical information recording medium includes a temperature responsive
layer whose reflectance and/or transmittance for the light beam changes
with a change in temperature caused by the irradiation of a light beam.
With such an arrangement, the present invention provides an optical
information recording medium enabling secure and highly accurate
reproduction of information recorded with high density, and the recording
and reproduction methods thereof.