Efficient and robust multiphoton data storage in molecular glasses and highly crosslinked polymers

As electronics become ever faster and more powerful, there is growing interest in three-dimensional laser-based optical data storage techniques, which can potentially provide efficient storage at densities significantly higher than those that are likely to be available from magnetic media. The development of inexpensive, efficient and robust media has been a major obstacle in optical data storage. However, we have discovered a class of materials that become highly fluorescent on multiphoton absorption of pulses of 800-nm light from a Ti:sapphire oscillator, making them excellent candidate storage media. The materials are inexpensive, of high optical quality, can be processed readily, and can take a number of useful forms, including molecular glasses and highly crosslinked polymers. Three-dimensional data can be stored at high densities in these materials, and are highly robust to readout.