International Business Machines Corporation

Harold N Lynt, Jr

Kie Y Ahn

Victor B Jipson

An optical storage medium for storing binary data adapted to be written upon by a laser forming an array of encoded spots is composed of a substrate possibly covered with a mirror layer and including a matrix of a transparent dielectric material such as a polymer upon which a vacuum deposited discontinuous film of nucleated metallic islands is deposited having thicknesses of less than about 100 .ANG.. The particles extend up to 1000 .ANG. transversely generally parallel to the surface of said substrate. The islands are separated by a short distance for facilitating coalescence of particles together to effect writing of spots at low energy by the lateral motion and gathering of the islands during heating of the islands by a laser beam or the like. Each spot represents a data bit in a binary position code. The matrix material has low thermal conductivity and preferably a low melting point to facilitate writing at low energy.

Growing community of inventors

Cold Spring, NY, United States of America

Harold N Lynt, Jr