ADVANCES IN MAGNETOOPTIC RECORDING TECHNOLOGY

Magneto-optical recording disk drives have been introduced into the marketplace by several companies. This paper reviews the basic technology which makes these drives possible and then describes on-going research which is expected to lead to future advances. New technologies such as direct overwrite recording, optical heads using laser diode arrays for parallel track readout, shorter wavelength lasers, advanced signal processing, improved modulation and error correction codes, and lightweight heads using optical fibers and/or integrated optical components are expected to lead to order of magnitude improvements in storage densities and data rates, as well as substantial improvements in access times. © 1990.