Joseph J. Wrobel

Laser marking of thin organic films

Laser marking of thin organic films on reflective substrates involves three general physical processes—optical absorption, heat flow, and mass motion—all of which can proceed on nanosecond time scales. We report observations of pit morphology and discuss the contributions of these processes to pit formation.

The Physics Of Recording In Write-Once Optical Storage Materials

The interaction of light with matter can be well described in simple systems. Understanding the nature of this phenomenon with respect to optical disk recording, however, is complicated by the time dependence of the properties of the interacting medium and the short time scale of the interaction. Yet to improve media performance and sensitivity, the details of the recording event must be understood. Because the event is not directly observable, the interaction must be studied indirectly using the tools at hand. Elucidating recording mechanisms entails reconciling these observations with the physical processes considered from both thermodynamic and kinetic viewpoints. Over the years, researchers have used this approach to probe the mechanism of recording in a number of write-once recording media. The progress in this area will be reviewed.

Ramp profiles for optical disk incubation

Ramping protocols for polycarbonate substrate optical disc incubations are proposed which exclude conditions which could cause internal condensation or excessive sorption-gradient-induced substrate deflection.