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Synthetic Single Crystal Diamond used to make High NA Lenses (SIL) for optical data storage
BY OUR TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT
CUIJK, The Netherlands, August 19/PRNewswire/
-- At the heart of the increase in the density of data storage is the ability to produce small lenses that operate at short wavelengths. These Solid-Immersion Lenses (SILs) conform to tight tolerances on diameter, thickness, surface form and roughness at a diameter of 1.0mm or smaller. Element Six announces the development of a process that can obtain the required form accuracy in 1mm Synthetic Single Crystal Diamond spheres. This new process has improved the accuracy of the lenses by a factor 10 compared to earlier techniques.
Since the introduction of the compact disk in 1985, it has become the standard storage medium for music, digital photography, computer data and games. As the demand for disk capacity increases, future generations of optical media will need significantly higher storage capacities. This trend is seen in DVD and its successor the Blu-Ray disk. Diamond lenses are a crucial component of the next generation of storage technology. Diamond lenses will enable a storage capacity of up to 1TB (1000 Giga Bytes) per disc.
The increased disk capacity is achieved technically by reducing the wavelengths of the readout laser and by increasing the numerical aperture (NA) of the focusing lens. To achieve a high NA value a material with high refractive index and transparency at the wavelength used is needed. Diamond is the ultimate material for this application, with the largest known refractive index of any transparent material in the blue and ultraviolet region of the spectrum. Synthetic Diamond producing using Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) has been optimized by Element Six in order to produce the required defect free optical material.
"This Lens is an exciting breakthrough and Element Six are proud to be participating in this new diamond technology that will enable mass storage of data for business and consumer applications. This is another example of a development of diamond processing technology on the nano-scale and proof of the versatility of diamond and Element Six being at the forefront of development", stated Christian Hultner the MD of Element Six.
Element Six is the world leader in the production of all forms of synthetic diamond for industrial use. Element Six has pioneered the development of CVD diamond technology since the 1980s, with a world-renowned research centre at Ascot dedicated to this activity. CVD diamond opens up many new application areas outside the traditional abrasive uses of synthetic diamond. Uses of CVD diamond include laser exit windows, cutting tools, surgical blades, windows for high-power gyrotrons, heat-spreaders for electronic devices as well as active electronic devices.
BY OUR TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT |
