Recent Development In Optical Data Storage

A number of recently developed optical data storage systems are reviewed in this paper. Each system utilizes some laser beam recording method as a means of permanently storing digital data on optical storage medium. The technical approaches and storage media employed by these systems vary considerably, ranging from ablative pit-creation on tellurium disc, or metalized glass slide to optical spot recording on silver halide film. Several performance characteristics and parameters of these optical data storage systems relevant to their applications in picture archiving are discussed. Also addressed are the developments of other types of optical data storage media such as bubble forming medium, dye film, and magneto-optic disc.