Characterization of a bit-wise volumetric storage medium for a space environment

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Optical Engineering
• Space Technology

Background:

• Volumetric optical data storage offers high-density data archiving.
• Space environments pose significant challenges to data storage reliability due to extreme temperatures and radiation.
• Photo-chromic compounds are a potential material for optical data storage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the playback performance and reliability of volumetric optical data storage disks under simulated space conditions.
• To identify the primary environmental factors causing disk failure.
• To explore potential mitigation strategies for enhancing disk longevity in space.

Main Methods:

• Disks composed of photo-chromic compounds were subjected to simulated space environment testing.
• Temperature sensitivity was assessed using vacuum oven baking at elevated temperatures.
• Radiation tolerance was tested using exposure to heavy ions and high-energy protons.

Main Results:

• Volumetric optical data storage disks exhibited failure under high-temperature and high-proton-dose conditions.
• Exposure to heavy ions did not result in significant disk failure.
• Playback performance was compromised by specific environmental stressors.

Conclusions:

• High temperatures and substantial proton doses are critical failure factors for these optical data storage disks.
• Photo-chromic based optical storage demonstrates resilience to heavy ion radiation.
• Further research is needed to develop protective measures against thermal and proton-induced degradation for space deployment.