Laser texture: understanding the mechanisms of topography formation on NiP and silicate glasses

Summary form only given. Interest in developing laser zone texture for computer hard-disk drives has motivated our interest in the fundamental understanding of topography formation on NiP and silicate glasses. Our understanding of topography or bump formation results from experimental laser texture studies that have illustrated fundamental differences between the NiP and silicate glass systems. The most striking difference is that bump formation on NiP is characterized by conservation of volume, whereas bump formation on the silicate glasses is accompanied by net volume gain.