AVIST: TDK'S NEW HIGH-REFLECTIVITY RECORDING MATERIAL FOR PHASE-CHANGE MEDIA

While everyone is awaiting the debut of play-only DVD-ROM drives, TDK is already working on the development of phase-change media, such as DVD-RAM. At a press conference last year, TDK shocked the industry with news of a new material --AVIST-- developed in its research laboratories that could play a major role in the commercialization of recordable DVD. TDK's patented AVIST material is a completely new phase change alloy with characteristics that make it ideal for use in DVD-RAM, CD-RW and low compression video and data recording applications.

Features of the new alloy include:

• High reflectivity (between 15% and 35%), which meets the requirements for DVD playback compatibility.
• AVIST has easily controllable characteristics that make it suitable for low data transfer and high data transfer applications. At speeds less than 3 meters/second, AVIST is appropriate for rewritable CD applications, such as CD-RW; at speeds from 3 to 6 meters/second, AVIST is ideal for rewritable DVD-RAM media; and at speeds greater than 6 meters/second, it is appropriate for low compression digital video or backup computer data storage.
• Excellent carrier-to-noise ratio and excellent phase change characteristics, along with the ability to register ultra-small data points. To date, TDK has succeeded in creating recorded marks smaller than 0.66 µm.
• AVIST has the ability to sustain more than 1,000 overwrite cycles, even at low velocities of less than 3 meters/second. Generally, higher velocities enable more overwrite cycles.