Optoelectronic devices

Dr ing. Janusz Rzepka

Optical storage

What we learn today.

• Optical storage is a storage using light for read-out of
recorded information
• Record density is determined by the spot size of the
light beam, which is limited by the wavelength of the
light and the NA (numerical aperture) of lens.
• There are three categories of optical storage, i.e.,
read-only type, write-once type and rewritable type.
• Different physical phenomena are used for recording
of the signal on optical disks.

Spot size at the focal point

• Numerical aperture of lens
– NA=nsinα
• d=0.6λ/NA
CD-ROM: NA=0.6
λ=780nm→d=780nm α
DVD: λ=650nm→d=650nm
BD: NA=0.85
λ=405nm→d=285nm
HD-DVD: NA=0.6
λ=405nm→d=405nm spot size d

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 Classification of optical storages
– Optical disk
• Read only type
– CD, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM
• Recordable type
– Direct read after write (Write once type)
» CD-R, DVD-R
– Rewritable (recording and erasing)
» Phase change CD-RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, BD, HD-
DVD
» Magneto-optical: MO, GIGAMO, MD, Hi-MD, AS-MO, iD-Photo
• Holographic memory, Hole-burning memory

Physical phenomena used in optical

disk technology
• CD-ROM, DVD-ROM:
– pit formation
• CD-R, DVD-R:
– Chemical decomposition of organic dye
• CD-RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD+RW :
– Phase change between ordered and disordered states
• MO, MD, GIGAMO, iD-Photo, HD-MD:
– Magnetic phase change between ferromagnetic and paramagnetic
states
• Holographic memory： Photorefractive effect
• Hole-burning memory: Local structure change

Characteristics of optical disk

• Removable
• Large capacity, high density
– 10Gb/in2 (far less than HD(100 Gb/in2))
– Aiming at 100 Gb/in2 using near-field technique
• Random accessibility
– Cassette → MD, VTR → DVD
– Shorter access than magnetic tape
– Longer seek time than HD
• High reliability
– Higher head clearance than HD

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 Increase of Areal Density in Optical Disks

Optical discs
density

Optical disk

MO

Hard disk

Different Disks

CD-ROM
• Polycarbonate substrates：
n=1.55
• λ=780nm →λ’=503nm
(wavelength in the substrate)
• Pit depth:110nm ~
¼wavelength
• Phase difference in reflection
π：Destructive addition of
reflected beams
• Substrate 1.2 mm

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 CD-RW
• Phase change UV coat Printed surface
Protective
• Crystalline and layers
Substrate
Reflection layer
Recording layer
Land

amorphous

Phase change recording

• Phase change between different phases
• Rewritable: As grown amorphous state is initialized to
crystalline state by annealing.
Recording is performed by heating above the melting point
Tm (600°C) followed by quenching to amorphous state.
Erasing is done by heating to Tcr(400 °C) to crystallize.
– High level ：Heating above Tm→rapid cool→amorphous
– Low level：Heating above Tcr→slow cool→crystalline
DVD-RAM: GeSbTe based alloy
DVD±RW: Ag-InSbTe based alloy

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Crystalline and amorphous

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