Rewritable 3D bit optical data storage in a PMMA-based photorefractive polymer

Abstract

3D bit optical data storage has the ability to reach Tbytes on a recording medium no larger than a compact disc using two-photon excitation and multi-layer recording. The introduction of a poly-vinyl carbazole (PVK) based photorefractive polymer as the recording material allows the system to rewrite the recorded information via the photorefractive effect. In this paper, we demonstrate the use of continuous wave illumination for three-dimensional (3D) bit optical data storage under two-photon excitation in a new poly(methylmethacrylate)-based (PMMA) photorefractive polymer. This achievement makes it possible to develop a cheap, compact, sub Tbyte rewritable optical data storage system to further extend the capabilities of compact disc and digital versatile disc technology.