Small form factor (SFF) optical data storage devices for mobile applications

There are two basic requirements in the field of optical storage data devices. The first is the demand for the improvement of memory capacity to manage the increased data capacity in personal and official purposes. The second is the demand for small sized optical storage devices for mobile multimedia digital electronics, including digital camera, PDA and mobile phones. To summarize, for the sake of mobile applications, it is necessary to develop optical data storage devices which have simultaneously a large capacity and a small size. Small form factor optical disk drive (SFF ODD) is expected to become a good match for mobile applications due its advantages over other devices in cost and removability. Nowadays, many companies and research institutes including universities cooperate together in the research on SFF ODD and other related optical storage devices. Due such active researches, it is expected that SFF ODD will be widely used in mobile applications in the very near future.