Apparatus, and a related method, for maintaining an incident beam of radiation in alignment with the centerline of a movable, optically-readable information track, wherein the track comprises a succession of light-reflecting and light-scattering regions representative of a frequency modulated carrier and the sides of the track are adapted to scatter incident radiation in predetermined directions. The apparatus includes photodetector means for sensing the amount of radiation scattered by each side of the track and for generating an error signal indicative of the deviation of the incident beam relative to the centerline of the track, along with means responsive to the error signal for controllably moving the incident beam into alignment with the centerline of the track.

The present invention relates to data carriers intended for optical read out. The data carrier in accordance with the invention comprises: a first transparent material at the surface of which the information is recorded in the form of an embossed pattern; a partially transparent metal layer covers said embossed pattern and a second, thick transparent material is deposited upon the metal layer for protection purposes.

An optical type information recording medium has guide grooves for tracking formed in a concentric or spiral shape at a predetermined pitch; and a pre-format pit formed approximately midway between the guide grooves in the normal direction thereof and recording at least address information. The optical type information recording medium is constructed such that the predetermined pitch is a value ranged from 1.4 .mu.m to 2.0 .mu.m, and the depth of the pre-format pit is a value ranged from 0.46 .lambda./n to 0.58 .lambda./n where n shows the refractive index of a substrate of the medium and .lambda. shows a wavelength of a light source for reading the information recorded to the medium, and the cross-sectional shape of the pre-format pit in the normal direction is provided in a range represented by a first predetermined inequality using a function of the second degree, and the cross-sectional shape of the guide grooves in the normal direction is provided in a range represented by a second predetermined inequality using a function of the second degree.

A hologram is fabricated by opening a volume phase reflection hologram formed in a recording medium such as a positive photoresist. The opening occurs by forming a second hologram, such as an off-axis hologram, in the same recording medium. The opened hologram can be replicated in metal and the metal can be used to emboss the fringe pattern of the opened hologram into plastic. A full range of colors in the visible spectrum may be obtained by metallizing the embossed plastic structure and then by overcoating it with appropriate clear dielectric layers.

A carrier is provided with a spiral structure in which sound and/or image information is stored in the form of frequency modulated or phase modulated signals. The carrier structure is composed of coplanar regions of variable length separated by coplanar areas of variable length. Where the regions and areas are all in the same plane the regions and areas have different coefficients of reflection or transmission. Where the regions and areas are not coplanar they are spaced by a distance sufficient to produce in response to impinging radiation a one-half wave length difference in the radiation exiting the regions and areas. Apparatus for imaging the radiation exiting the carrier structure is also disclosed. This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 396,399, filed Sept. 12, 1973, now abandoned, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 229,285, filed Feb. 25, 1972, now abandoned.