Sharp Develops Dual-Layer Super-Resolution Optical Disc Technology, Enables Next-Generation 100-GB Optical ROM Discs

Sharp Corporation has developed an optical disc technology that enables super-resolution readout of data pits in a dual-layer structure by employing a transparent super-resolution(*1) functional film(*2). The development of this technology will make it possible to increase the storage capacity of optical discs using blue lasers to 100 GB in the dual-layer structure.

For some time, Sharp has been searching for materials with the high optical transmittance needed to create dual-layer super-resolution optical discs, and has now developed a super-resolution functional film based on a metal oxide for this purpose.
This dual-layer super-resolution readout technology will make it possible to store 100 GB of information on a single optical disc, allowing the disc to hold approximately nine hours(*3) of high-definition television (HDTV) video.

Major Features

1. Use of a transparent super-resolution functional film makes dual-layer super-resolution optical discs possible

Achieving a multi-layer super-resolution optical disc demands the use of a transparent material with high optical transmittance for the super-resolution functional film, but conventional super-resolution films have low light transmittance and cannot be made into multi-layer structures. The proprietary super-resolution functional film developed by Sharp at this time is based on a metal oxide, and offers high light transmittance, making it possible to achieve dual-layer super-resolution discs.

2. Eco-friendly material

This super-resolution film uses a low-environmental-impact material, and will yield environmentally friendly discs.

*1 "Super-resolution" refers to technology that enables readout of the small data pits on the optical disc beyond the optical diffraction limit.
*2 The optical transmittance of the film changes with temperature: when the temperature increases, transmittance declines, generating a masking effect.
*3 With an average data transfer rate of 24 Mbps.



Details of this dual-layer super-resolution optical disc technology will be announced at the ISOM/ODS 2005 (International Symposium on Optical Memory/Optical Data Storage 2005) to be held from July 10th to 14th in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Related stories:

Astronomer Discovers Upper Mass Limit for Black Holes
There appears to be an upper limit to how big the universe’s most massive black holes can get, according to new research led by a Yale University astrophysicist.
Physicists investigate how time moves forward
As humans, we have a very intuitive concept of time, and of the differences between the past, present, and future. But, as scientists Edward Feng of the University of California, Berkeley, and Gavin Crooks of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory point out, science does not provide a clear definition of time.
Internet traffic grows 53 percent from mid-2007
(AP) -- International Internet traffic kept growing in the last year, but at a slower rate than before, and carriers more than kept pace by adding more capacity, a research firm said Wednesday.
Not enough space: The dicey game of storing, backing up files
About five years ago, a technical disaster struck Fernando Santos: His computer hard drive failed. The San Francisco resident lost everything on it and had to reformat his drive. "I lost a lot of nice pictures," said Santos, 20.

What a sleep study can reveal about fibromyalgia
Research engineers and sleep medicine specialists from two Michigan universities have joined technical and clinical hands to put innovative quantitative analysis, signal-processing technology and computer algorithms to work in the sleep lab. One of their recent findings is that a new approach to analyzing sleep fragmentation appears to distinguish fibromyalgia patients from healthy controls.
Sony Cybershot DSC-T500 Digital Camera
Sony is adding high-definition video recording to their digital camera line with the introduction of the Cybershot DSC-T500. The DSC-T500 has the ability to capture still images while in video recording mode. This camera is due to be released in late September and will sell for about $400.
Invisibility undone: Chinese scientists demonstrate how to uncloak an invisible object
Harry Potter beware! A team of Chinese scientists has developed a way to unmask your invisibility cloak. According to a new paper in the latest issue of Optics Express, the Optical Society's (OSA) open-access journal, certain materials underneath an invisibility cloak would allow invisible objects be seen again.
Giant Furnace Opens to Reveal 'Perfect' LSST Mirror Blank
(PhysOrg.com) -- The single-piece primary and tertiary mirror blank cast for the LSST is "perfect", say project astronomers and engineers.

News discussion:

Electronic Devices news