Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 January 2011
This article describes the characteristics and development of materials for magnetooptical (MO) recording. Magneto-optical recording is derived from thermomagnetic recording and readout by the magneto-optical effect. Rare-earth/transition-metal alloys, mostly Tb-Fe-Co, have been used for recording materials in MO discs. MO discs were first put on the market in 1988. Magnetic-field modulation for recording was introduced in MiniDisc (MD) systems in 1992. MO discs have an advantage in durability and achievability, because recording by magnetization reversal is not accompanied by any atomic movement. Magnetically induced super-resolution (MSR), reported in 1991, enabled resolving powers that are higher than the optical limit. MO discs based on MSR were commercialized as 3.5–in. discs for data recording and as 2–in. discs for digital cameras.
As extensions of MSR, DWDD (domain-wall displacement detection) and MAMMOS (magnetic amplifying magneto-optical system) have been proposed, in which the marks are expanded during readout for a large signal. DWDD technology has been used in Hi-MDs (high-density MiniDiscs), which were commercialized in 2004 with storage capacities of 1 Gbyte per 64-mm-diameter disc.