Optimizing Substrate Polymers to Optical Disk Requirements by Computer Simulations

The dynamic development of optical devices for the future blue laser compact disk (CD-) technology calls for a projection of the usability of the appropriate substrate polymers. As the new hardware is not yet available, a direct examination of the substrate polymers is not possible. Computer simulations may present a useful tool to predict substrate properties parallel to the development of the hardware components and 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 materials, 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 birefringence levels, that might become important in the near future is given.