Fabricating optical record media

Claim 1

A process for making at least a single-faced, optical wire and/or read recording disk having a sub-layer with a desired high-resolution featured surface, comprising the steps of: coating a polished surface of a glass blank with a continuous metal coating; applying a layer of photoresist material to said metal coating; exposing said photoresist layer so as to create therein a latent image of a desired pattern; developing said latent image, leaving some portions of said metal coating uncovered and other portions thereof covered by remaining portions of said photoresist layer; etching away said uncovered portions of said metal coating, leaving corresponding portions of said glass blank uncovered and other portions thereof still covered by said other portions of said metal coating covered by remaining portions of said photoresist layer; removing said remaining portions of said photoresist layer from said other portions of said metal coating; plasma etching into said uncovered portions of said glass blank while said other portions thereof remain covered by said other portions of said metal coating; removing said other portions of said metal coating from said other portions of said glass blank, thereby leaving a transparent glass master mold that is featured in relation to said desired pattern; positioning an opaque substantially flat metal substrate in spaced alignment with said transparent featured glass master mold so as to define a thin gap therebetween; filling said gap with a viscous composition that is radiation-curable to a solid plastic without undergoing significant shrinkage; irradiating said composition through said glass master mold so as to cure said composition to a solid plastic sub-layer having said desired high-resolution featured surface; and removing said glass master mold, leaving said plastic sub-layer adhered to said metal substrate.