Optical disk groove mastering using an electron beam recorder and chemically amplified resist

In order to increase the recording capacity of optical disc, electron beam (EB) mastering technology is used to replace the traditional laser beam mastering technology. Without the optical diffraction limit, EB mastering is one of the most possible candidates that can reach the demand of going beyond 100 GB/layer in capacity of an optical disc. Although this technology can satisfy the requirement of ultra-high recording density, a poor throughput, however, is the main drawback. In our work, a chemically amplified resist, which has much lower required dosage for exposure than the traditional Polymethylmethacrylate resist, was adopted to increase the recording velocity. The stamper of newly announced optical disc, Blu-ray disc (BD, 25-27 GB/layer) and even higher capacity (50 GB) have been successfully manufactured in our work. Because of the advanced technology, it has great possibility that the next generation optical disc, BD and the following ultrahigh-capacity disc will be manufactured by EB mastering technology.