High power optical disc drives

A method for permanently recording data on an optical disc, the method comprising:

• providing a disc drive having a housing, at least one laser energy source, at least one objective lens, at least one data encoder, and at least one optical disc rotation mechanism;
• converting data into a pattern of marks to be written to an optical disc;
• and
• writing each of the marks of the pattern to a data layer of the optical disc using sufficient laser energy to physically translate or move material in the data layer to form an indelible mark, and wherein physically translating or moving material includes a change other than a die color change or a phase change between crystalline and amorphous and wherein the laser energy delivered to the surface of the optical disc is greater than or equal to 300 Pico joules for an area the size of a 3T mark.

A method for using an optical disc drive, the method comprising:

• providing an optical disc drive,
• providing an optical disc, wherein the optical disc comprises a metal, a metal alloy, or chromium metal in the data layer;
• placing the optical disc in the optical disc drive;
• sending data to the optical disc drive;
• and
• storing the data in a pattern of marks in the optical disc by converting data into a pattern of marks to be written to a data layer of the optical disc and writing each of the marks of the pattern to the optical disc using laser energy greater than or equal to 300 Pico joules for an area the size of a 3T mark delivered to the surface of the optical disc to form a physical pit forming a depression relative to an unmarked portion of the data layer wherein the physical pit is made in the metal, the metal alloy, or chromium metal in the data layer.