physics

Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc

Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc rather than just read about it. In short: The Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc (or SVOD) is an optical disc format developed by Hitachi Maxell which uses an array of wafer-thin optical discs to allow data storage. Each "layer" (a thin polycarbonate disc) holds around 9.4 GB of information, and the wafers are stacked in layers of 20, 25, 100, or more, giving a substantially larger overall data capacity than other optical storage formats; for example, 100× car…

Key takeaways

Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc (or SVOD) is an optical disc format developed by Hitachi Maxell which uses an array of wafer-thin optical discs to allow data storage. Each "layer" (a thin polycarbonate disc) holds around 9.4 GB of information, and the wafers are stacked in layers of 20, 25, 100, or more, giving a substantially larger overall data capacity than other optical storage formats; for example, 100× cartridges could hold 940 GB using the system as announced. Hitachi Maxell announced the creation of the SVOD standard in 2006, intending to launch it the next year. Aimed primarily at commercial users, the target price was ¥40,000 for a cartridge of 100 thin discs, with the potential to expand into the home user market. When they announced the system, Hitachi Maxell publicly recognized the possibility that the system could be eventually modified for use with a blue-violet laser, similar to Blu-ray discs, which could have expanded the capacity of the system to 3-5 TB. It is possible that they in fact developed this "second generation" SVOD for use with standard Blu-ray lasers, with each thin disc having a storage capacity of 25 GB, or a 100-disc cartridge having a storage of 5 TB. Hitachi Maxell developed systems both for burning to the media using standard DVD optical heads, and pre-recording to the media using a special heat imprint technique they called "nanoimprinting." Though nanoimprinting initially required 6 minutes per disc for pressing, they had improved it to 8 seconds, and intended to achieve a comparable throughput to standard DVD pressing. The primary application of the SVOD system seemed to be business data archival, replacing digital tape archives. In 2007, Japanese broadcaster NHK announced a similar system, based on Blu-ray discs, of stacked optical storage media specifically designed to rotate at high speeds, up to 15,000 RPM. SVOD was anticipated to be a likely candidate, along with Holographic Versatile Discs (HVDs), to be a next-generation optical disc standard. However, as of 2021, little has been done with the format.

References

External links Hitachi Maxell develops wafer-thin storage disc details and interview from IDG News Service (dead link, archived) (4 October 2006) Maxell details in Japanese language (dead link, archived) (19 April 2006)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc

In research: Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 120 mm discs, Audio storage, Computer storage stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc in simple terms?

Why does Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc.