Seeker of Truth
06-09-2003, 07:44 PM
A Novel Way To Squeeze More Data Onto CDs And DVDs.
by Charles Q. Choi June 2003
Sony's high-capacity blue laser DVD recorder, set to debut in the United States this fall, crams five times more information on a disc than the standard red laser version does and heralds the arrival of next-generation technology. Enthusiasts eager to get their hands on that much data capacity, however, may think twice after learning that production snags boosted the DVD's price to about $3,500. But researchers at BlackLight Power in Cranbury, New Jersey, say they have made a discovery that may help overcome technical hurdles and get reliable blue lasers to market.
When the kinks are worked out, blue lasers will likely be the heart of next-generation DVDs, CDs, printers and scanners. Having shorter wavelengths than their red brethren, they can etch more data on a disc. It's the optical equivalent of taking a sharper pencil to paper.
But manufacturing flaws have plagued the emerging technology. The standard way to generate blue laser light is to run an electric current through a crystal or chemical. Excited electrons in the substrates then emit blue light rays. Trouble is, the substrates tend to crack under extreme heat, a glitch that ruins up to a third of all batches. And the solutions are pricey.
More @ popsci.com (http://www.popsci.com/popsci/computers/article/0,12543,456097,00.html)
by Charles Q. Choi June 2003
Sony's high-capacity blue laser DVD recorder, set to debut in the United States this fall, crams five times more information on a disc than the standard red laser version does and heralds the arrival of next-generation technology. Enthusiasts eager to get their hands on that much data capacity, however, may think twice after learning that production snags boosted the DVD's price to about $3,500. But researchers at BlackLight Power in Cranbury, New Jersey, say they have made a discovery that may help overcome technical hurdles and get reliable blue lasers to market.
When the kinks are worked out, blue lasers will likely be the heart of next-generation DVDs, CDs, printers and scanners. Having shorter wavelengths than their red brethren, they can etch more data on a disc. It's the optical equivalent of taking a sharper pencil to paper.
But manufacturing flaws have plagued the emerging technology. The standard way to generate blue laser light is to run an electric current through a crystal or chemical. Excited electrons in the substrates then emit blue light rays. Trouble is, the substrates tend to crack under extreme heat, a glitch that ruins up to a third of all batches. And the solutions are pricey.
More @ popsci.com (http://www.popsci.com/popsci/computers/article/0,12543,456097,00.html)