Confocal optical microscopy system for multi-layer data storage and retrieval

摘要

A confocal optical microscopy system for storing and retrieving optical information recorded in multiple layers in an optical disk. The invention includes a system utilizing the principle of confocal optical microscopy for accurately focusing a light beam onto a plane of a layer within a multi-layer disk. Optical information is thereby retrieved from the layer within the multi-layer disk. The invention also includes a method for recording optical data onto the multi-layer disk which comprises stacked multiple layers of transparent material having a distribution of discrete areas of metal film deposited between the layers. The distribution of metal film represents the recorded optical information.