An optical memory element.

摘要

An optical memory element of the type having a substrate formed with a guide groove pattern and supported on said substrate a recording medium layer in which information can be recorded, and from which the recorded information can be read by a reading operation using the guide groove pattern to control the position of an optical beam projected onto the memory element. In one aspect of the invention the substrate is a glass substrate, with the guide groove pattern etched into a surface thereof. In another aspect, the substrate comprises a glass support layer and a layer of an etchable dielectric material formed on the glass support layer, the guide groove pattern being etched into the layer of etchable dielectric material down to a depth less than its full thickness. In a further aspect, the substrate comprises a support layer and a layer of an etchable dielectric material formed on the support layer, the guide groove pattern being etched into the layer of etchable material, and there is a layer of dielectric material disposed between the etched layer and the recording medium layer.