4GOOD - Technology and Prototype for a 4th-Generation Omni-Purpose Optical Disc System

Digital optical data storage has become firmly established through CD, DVD and their derivatives. Future mobile and stationary multimedia applications demand for ever higher storage density, even beyond HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc with 50 GB maximum storage capacity (dual layer). While holographic recording is in the far future for the consumer domain, the 4th generation of optical storage is being heralded by a leap in technology. Within a European initiative in the scope of the EUREKA project MobileDRIVE and the project 4GOOD (4th-generation omni-purpose optical disc-system), funded by the German Ministry of Economy and Technology, the fundamental technologies are being developed for high-density optical data storage (60...100 Gbit/ inch²) in order to achieve at least 200 GB on a 12 cm disc, or e.g. > 5 GB on a 3 cm miniaturised version (single layer). The contribution describes the technology objectives, challenges, concepts and project status in the key areas of disc development, drive including laser, optics, acceleration sensors for mobile operation, and signal processing.