Pulse width modulation optical disk drive with adjustable pulsed laser write and preheat patterns

A pulse width modulation optical disk drive of the type wherein data is run-length-limited (RLL) encoded as mark run-lengths written on the disk by pulsed laser radiation and gap run-lengths between the mark run-lengths, the disk drive comprising:

• an optical disk having a thermally responsive data layer, the disk having a thermal interference calibration sequence of mark run-lengths and gap run-lengths recorded on the disk;
• a laser for generating a light beam directed to the disk to heat the thermally responsive data layer;
• a motor for rotating the disk relative to the light beam;
• a laser driver connected to the laser for pulsing the laser at a plurality of power levels above a threshold power level, one of said power levels being a preheat level less than the level required to write data on the disk;
• a clock for generating timing signals with a characteristic cycle time;
• a pulse width modulation data encoder operable in synchronization with the clock cycles and responsive to an input data stream for generating a data signal to be represented as mark run-lengths made on the disk by the laser pulses and gap run-lengths located between the mark run-lengths, a mark run-length being comprised of a single submark or a series of contiguous or overlapping submarks, each submark being made as a result of the laser being pulsed at one of the power levels above the preheat level;
• a programmable modulator connected to the laser driver and responsive to the data signal from the data encoder for timing the laser to pulse according to a set of write patterns of pulses, each write pattern of pulses in the set corresponding to a respective mark run-length, and for timing the laser to pulse during the gap run-lengths according to a set of preheat patterns of pulses at the preheat power level, each preheat pattern of pulses in the set corresponding to a respective gap run-length;
• read detection circuitry for measuring the lengths of mark run-lengths and gap run-lengths in the thermal interference calibration sequence recorded on the disk;
• a controller for calculating a thermal interference value from the measured mark rim-lengths and gap run-lengths in the calibration sequence recorded on the disk and for programming the modulator to time the laser to pulse according to the set of write patterns and the set of preheat patterns;
• and
• a memory storage device coupled to the controller for storing a look-up table that includes (a) numbers representative of different values of thermal interference, (b) sets of write patterns, each write pattern set corresponding to one of the numbers in the look-up table, and (c) sets of preheat patterns, each preheat pattern set corresponding to one of the numbers in the look-up table;
• and wherein the controller selects a set of write patterns and a set of preheat patterns from the look-up table as a result of the calculated thermal interference value and programs the modulator to time the laser to pulse according to said selected set of write patterns and said selected set of preheat patterns.