Abstract

The period of the current pre-grooved optical disks is on the order of one optical wavelength. The understanding of the interaction of focused beams with this type of high frequency periodic structure using the conventional scalar diffraction theory, with which most optical engineers are familiar, is no longer adequate; a vector theory must be used. Furthermore, the use of multilayer dielectric and metallic coatings and high numerical aperture beams in modern optical disk technology inevitably entails excitation of surface waves (surface plasmon and waveguide modes). A good understanding of the vector diffraction and the possible influence of the surface waves on the various extracted signals is important in the design and analysis of new generations of optical disks.

© 1998 Optical Society of America