OPTIMIZING SUBSTRATE POLYMERS TO OPTICAL DISK REQUIREMENTS BY COMPUTER-SIMULATIONS

The dynamic development of optical devices For the Future blue laser c ompact disk (CD-) technology calls for a projection of the usability o f the appropriate substrate polymers. As the new hardware is not yet a vailable, a direct examination of the substrate polymers is not possib le. Computer simulations may present a useful tool to predict substrat e properties parallel to the development of the hardware components an d prior to the chemical synthesis of polymers. With methods of polymer physics and computer simulations, important open questions are worked out. These are. the birefringence of CDs for different polymer materi als. their mechanical strength and melt flow, the influence of the pit replication on the optical disk readout-signals and the influence of water absorption on the dishing of the disk. An outlook on some recent results on structurally modified polycarbonates with lower birefringe nce levels, that might become important in the near future is given.