Thermal and structural analysis of a polymer bilayer film as an erasable optical material

Abstract

The present study is primarily concerned with the absorption of optical energy, temperature distributions and the resultant recording performances of a laser irradiated dye-in-polymer bilayer film consisting of an elastic and a plastic layer. From the results of numerical calculations and recording experiments, it is found that the recording performance of the material is strongly influenced by the dye concentration and the thickness of the plastic layer. An optimum dye concentration in the plastic layer ensures the maximum expansion of the recording layer by softening the plastic layer. An optimum thickness of the plastic layer gives maximum reflectance and height of structurally stable bumps. These optimum parameters lead to an optimal design of the bilayer as an optical recording material. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.