Scanning Probe Microscopy Study on the Degradation of Optical Recoding Disks by Environmental Factors

The storing ability of information of optical disks directly depends on the physical property of recording unit cells. It means that the degradation of optical disks ultimately causes the loss of the physical and chemical properties of recording unit cells and leads also information, too. We investigated the degradation and life time of optical disks which tell us the longevity of the preservation of information. Optical disks were aged using the accelerated aging system and studied by optical reflectivity spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy(AFM), and the preservation environment of electronic media in National central library of Korea also were analysed. Results show that the double reflective coated optical disks have good preservation of recording information but revealed some deformation of dye area in the AFM images. It means that we should include the mechanical and chemical degradation of the optical disks in the life time expectation evaluation.

광디스크의 노화에 관한 주사 탐침 현미경 연구