摘要 |
A method of recording digital information on a thermoplastic substrate having an array of equally-spaced microscopic optically-alterable mirrors each supported by a mesa projecting from one surface of the substrate. The mirrors may be formed of a composite of gold and SiO2. Recording is by laser beam that reduces the reflectivity of selected mirrors. Each mirror is capable of recording one or more bits of digital information. After exposure, the mirrors retain enough reflectivity to be distinguishable from the intervening valleys. The mirrors serve as timing and tracking markers prior to and during recording, and during read-out. The area and location of each information bit is determined prior to recording: not as a result of the recording process. The mirrors may be scanned along parallel rows or diagonally across the rows. |