Magneto-optic recording

With the continued advance in the design and production of small solid state lasers and associated optics, future systems designed to achieve very-high-density storage of digital information are likely to become increasingly dependent on sophisticated optical technology. Non-erasable storage systems that have been accepted for many years (WORM, CD-ROM and so on) show a continuous growth of applications and sales. The first erasable storage systems, produced and marketed to an agreed world standard, are firmly based on magneto-optic recording technology. This review is intended to summarize the systems and materials that have made this technology possible.