Storage media

Media for the storage of large amounts of data are important components of modern information technology. A failure of storage media (such as hard disks, DVDs, magnetic tapes, ...) often leads to irreversible data loss. Therefore, it is important to characterize the properties of the applied materials already in the development stages of new media and to establish well defined standards. In addition, the cause of any failure must be found and addressed quickly and effectively. Surface analytical methods play an important part inresolving issues such as:

• characterization of the base polymers of CD & DVD blanks
• chemical characterization of lubricants on hard disks
• layer structure of hard disks
• structure of writing and reading heads
• abrasion of magnetic tapes
• delamination of metallizations
• characterization of deposits & particles
• ...