The thermal performance of the MAMMOS disk structure

The temperature distribution in the MAMMOS disk structure is modelled. It is shown that the readout layer temperature is mainly determined by the heat generated by the absorption of power directly from the laser beam. In contrast, the record layer temperature is determined mainly by heat diffusing into it from the hot readout layer. The readout layer reaches the highest temperatures. The large temperature gradients in the readout layer should aid domain expansion during readout of data. The temperature gradients in the record layer seem poor, which may hinder the recording of very small marks. Marks recorded using the light intensity modulation method may have poor boundary regularity and show a large amount of internal fragmentation due to the presence of large demagnetizing fields in the TM-rich alloys typically used for the record layer.