FLUORESCENT MULTILAYER DISC

SEMINAR REPORT

BY

K.VISHNU VARDHAN REDDY

(07N71A0580)

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

DRK INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

(Affiliated to JNTU, Hyderabad)

Bowrampet (V), via Air Force Academy

Hyderabad-500043
 company Constellation 3D
ABSTRACT
demonstrates a new
Compact discs were a format: FMD (Fluorescent
revolutionary product at its Multilayer Disk), which
time and influenced many can provide us with a
spheres of human activity. staggering 140 GB of
People started recording storage space, seems to be
music of high quality, which an enticing solution for the
didn't get worse with the storage-hungry masses.
time as it happens to be on
Constellation 3D's
tape. As soon as CDs
technology implements the
appeared in computer
concept of the volumetric
industry they immediately
storage of information.
became an undoubted
Data is recorded on
helper both for users and
multiple layers located
for programmers. The latter
inside a disc or a card, as
were able to increase
opposed to the single layer
volume of their program
method available in
products by adding video
compact discs, and double
and audio elements
layer method available in
etc.FMD , which can
DVD’s. The recording,
provide us with a
reading and storing of the
staggering 140 GB of
information is accomplished
storage space, seems to be
through the use of
an enticing solution for the
fluorescent materials
storage-hungry masses.The
embedded in pits and
grooves in each of the find a new way to reflect
layers. The fluorescent the light that would not
material emits radiation interfere with other layers.
when excited by an To do this, they have a
external light source. The different fluorescent
information is then decoded material in each layer
as modulations of the which reflects a different
intensity and color of the frequency of light than the
emitted radiation. other layers, making it
possible to shine the light
INTRODUCTION
through the disc and read
the proper frequency for
the expected layer.
Fluorescent Multilayer
Because of this, the main
Disc, abbreviated as FMD,
limitation on the number of
is a data storage medium
layers, besides how many
that follows the idea
different materials can be
previously used in DVDs,
found to be used, would be
making multiple layers to
to keep the disc from being
get more data on one disc,
too thick.
but takes the idea to a new
level. Because the normal A 50 GB prototype disc was
reflective layers were too demonstrated at the
limiting, making it nearly Comdex industry show in
impossible to get more November 2000. First
than two layers on a disc, generation FMDs were to
Constellation 3D decided to
have roughly 100 GB per immediately became an
disc. undoubted helper both for

After the shutting down of users and for programmers.

Constellation 3D due to a The latter were able to

scandal and the company increase volume of their

consequently running out of program products by

money, a new company adding video and audio

called D Data Inc. was elements etc. FMD, which

formed which acquired the can provide us with a

entire patent portfolio of staggering 140 GB of

Constellation 3D in 2003. storage space, seems to be

The company is determined an enticing solution for the

to bring multilayer optical storage-hungry masses.

disc technology to the The company Constellation

market . 3D demonstrates a new

format: FMD (Fluorescent
Compact Multilayer Disk), which
discs were a revolutionary can provide us with a
product at its time and staggering 140 GB of
influenced many spheres of storage space, seems to be
human activity. People an enticing solution for the
started recording music of storage-hungry masses.
high quality, which didn't
get worse with the time as Constellation

it happens to be on tape. As 3D's technology

soon as CDs appeared in implements the concept of

computer industry they the volumetric storage of

information. Data is A 50 GB prototype disc was
recorded on multiple layers demonstrated at the
located inside a disc or a COMDEX industry show in
card, as opposed to the November 2000. First
single layer method generation FMDs were to
available in compact discs, use 650 nm red lasers,
and double layer method yielding roughly 140 GB per
available in DVD’s. The disc. Second and third
recording, reading and generation FMDs were to
storing of the information is use 405 nm blue lasers,
accomplished through the giving capacities of up to a
use of fluorescent materials terabyte.
embedded in pits and OPERATING PRINCIPLES
grooves in each of the
layers. The fluorescent
material emits radiation
The pits in an FMD are filled
when excited by an
with fluorescent material.
external light source. The
When coherent light from
information is then decoded
the laser strikes a pit the
as modulations of the
material glows, giving off
intensity and color of the
incoherent light of a
emitted radiation.
different wavelength. Since
FMDs are clear, this light is
able to travel through many
DEVELOPMENT
layers unimpeded. The
clear discs, combined with
the ability to filter out laser The concept of
light (based on wavelength multi-layer, fluorescent
and coherence), yield a cards/discs (FMD/C) is a
much greater signal-to- unique breakthrough,
noise ratio than reflective solving the problems of
media. This is what allows signal degradation. Here,
FMDs to have many layers. the storage layer is coated
The main limitation on the with a fluorescent material.
number of layers in an FMD When the laser beam hits
is the overall thickness of the layer, fluorescent light
the disc. is emitted. This emitted
light has a different
wavelength from the
incident laser light - slightly
shifted towards the red end
of the light spectrum and is
incoherent in nature, in
contrast to the reflected
light in current optical
devices. The emitted light
is not affected by data or
other marks, and
transverses adjacent layers
FLUORESCENT undisturbed. In the read out
MULTILAYER system of the drive the
light is filtered, so that only
the information-bearing capacities to over 1
fluorescent light is Terabyte.
detected, thus reducing the
effect of stray light and
FLUORESCENT
interference. Theoretical
MATERIAL
studies, confirmed by
experimental results, have The fluorescent material .
shown that in conventional arguably, the .main
reflection systems the ingredient. of FMD
signal quality degrades technology converts
rapidly with the number of incident (incoherent) laser
layers. In fluorescent read light into incoherent
out systems, on the other fluorescent light. C3D has
hand, the signal quality several material
degrades much more slowly formulations. The most-
with each additional developed material is used
layer .Research has shown in readonly discs. Writable
that media containing up to (recordable) and re-writable
a hundred layers are formulations (and their
currently feasible, thereby corresponding drives) have
increasing the potential also been demonstrated
capacity of a single card or using propeirtary
disk to hundreds of photochromic compound.
Gigabytes. Use of blue
lasers would increase the
TECHNOLOGICAL
PROCESS
Technological process of FM
discs is divided into two
types:

In the
first one there used a
method of hot stamping.
Each layer is reached by The second method uses a

pressing of polycorbone process of

layer with two stamps photopolymerization when

(Master-copies) at high a multiple disc is reached

temperature. So we receive by stacking of discs one

one layer with two after another which are

informational sides. Then, made from thin

pits starts being fill with informational layers.

fluorescent material. And Manufacture of one

when it becomes hard the informational layer lies in
informational layers are manufacture of plastic film
pressed. with definite optical

In the picture you can see a characteristics. The film is

structure of a 7-layer disc 25 to 30 micron in width.

produced according to the The film which will get

described method. information soon is either

stamped or cut out with a
laser. After that the film is
installed on an external
surface of a nickel matrix
that carries a negative copy that the surface is
of produced informational processed chemically in
layer. While rotating, order to reach necessary
photopolymer matter is contrast of pits and flats.
evenly brought in in the Then, in order to check the
space between stamp copy for different defects,
surface and plastic film. photoelements get excited
Later, when the and the whole picture is
photopolymer matter analyzed with the help of
becomes hard the film get CCD cameras. After that
detached from the stamp the layers are "stuck" to
surface. The base plate now the base plate 0.6 mm in
contains pits of definite width. And all this is
geometry. A pit's geometry covered with a protective
is better in terms of quality layer which can be used for
than that received when graphics decoration. In
manufacturing matrices for order to prevent a physical
CD or DVD since those contact with informational
technologies use a process layers on the edge of the
of stamping of pits. When a disc this area is filled as
layer with the required well with polymeric
position of pits is ready, material, like in CD or DVD
they are filled with technologies.
fluorescent material (it Hot-Embossing: Using hot
covers evenly the whole metal stampers, thin
informational side). After polycarbonate sheets are
embossed on both sides.
After the sheets cool, the
embossed pits are filled
with fluorescent dye. After
the dye is cured, the
individual sheets are
stacked and bonded
together under pressure.
The result is a storage
media having multiple
layers: a Fluorescent
Multilayer Disc.
ADVANTAGES
Photo-Polymerization
(2P) Process:
1. The multi-layer system is
optically transparent and
This method, in homogeneous.
which layers are
2. Low absorption in each
sequentially replicated by
layer.
creating .thin replicas., will
3. No absorption for the
eventually allow FMD to
emitted signal fluorescent
incorporate up to 100
light.
layers .
4. Lower than CD/DVD
sensitivity to imperfections
in media and drives. The
fluorescent technique
does not depend on SECURITY
interference effects and
requires less stringent
FMD will offer an
manufacturing tolerances
extraordinary amount of
for media and drives.
security. In addition to
5. The emitted fluorescent
complying with the newest
light from any given layer is
and most sophisticated
non-coherent, eliminating
encryption technologies,
the problem of parasite
FMD.s unique dye
interference.
chemistry will offer much
6. The limited lateral spatial greater control over access
resolution for this system is to intellectual property. In
twice that for coherent light the digital cinema realm,
based systems . for example, FMD.s
7. FMD technology is capacity of each frame
compatible with current CD (there are 24 frames allows
and DVD formats, having for digital watermarking per
the capacity to handle the second). Dyes can even be
same data rates over each customized to work
of its layers exclusively with FMD

8.Prevents problem of players used in cinemas,

interference since it uses rendering stolen copies

an incoherent fluorescent inaccessible to those using

light. consumer drives. As for

protection from mass-
duplicating pirates, dyes
can be designed to last only
Capacity, 0,6 17,
for a specific numberof 50,8
GBytes 4 4
plays or limited amount of
2
time (Cohen, 2001). One
(on
can easily see that FMD.s
Number of eac
security options will be 1 12
layers h
useful beyond cinema.
side
Governments, businesses
)
large and small, and
consumers will all benefit Distance

from them between

- 40 25±5
layers ,
micron

Total
width of
0,1
informatio 2 275
1
nal layers,
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN micron
CD/DVD/FMD DV Modifie
Format CD
D d DVD

Distance
DV
Parameter CD FMD between 0,7
D 1,6 0,8
tracks, 4
Disc micron
12
diameter, 120 130
0
mm
CONCLUSION
The
REFERENCES
rapid technological
development that is taking
place in storage devices 1.www.en.wikipedia.org/
has also made the man wiki.
think about the needs and 2.www.ixbtlabs.com/artic
the requirements for the les
storage devices. Man’s 3.www.seminartopic.org.
need for additional storage
4. http://news.bbc.co.uk/
space is increasing The
hi/english/entertainme
FMD Digital Cinema disc
nt/newsid_1190000/1
has the potential to provide
190724.stm.
a secure , removable,
5. http://www.fmdinsider
single disc distribution
.com. February 1,
method. The FMD can
2002.
provide us with a
staggering 140 GB of 6. Sandler, Ingolf.

storage space seems to be (1999). White Paper .

an enticing solution for the Fluorescent Multilayer

storage- hungry masses. optical storage.

www.fabtech.org/data
tech/journals/edition6/
downloads/dt6_15_22.
pdf.