Materials in optical data storage

Optical Data Storage has become the mainstream technology for distributing audio, video and computer software content as well as recording and archiving personal data during the past two and a half decades. The continuous demand for ever higher storage capacities and faster data transfer rates has led to the development of three disc format families Compact Discs, Digital Versatile Discs and Blu-ray Disc, which have become established in the market. Research and development for future high density formats exploits the already well established “bit-wise” recording and volume storage approaches like holographic and “page-wise” recording. Each existing and future technology imposes specific requirements on materials that can facilitate functioning and reliable products for the consumer. In this review several aspects of the interrelation between technological requirements and materials are highlighted.