Current issues in rewritable optical disk data storage

Summary form only given. The current trend in rewritable optical data storage is toward the use of novel techniques to achieve densities and data rates that are superior to those achievable in hard disk magnetic recording. We describe the methodology and potential advantages/disadvantages of the solid immersion lens (SIL), front-surface recording, magnetic super resolution (MSR), land & groove recording, and partial response maximum likelihood detection (PRML). We also discuss the differences between magneto-optical and phase-change media.