Abstract

Holographic data storage offers the potential of extremely high storage densities and high data transferrates. The search for read-write storage systems based on the photorefractive (PR) effect¹ has been limited by the availability of materials that combine good optical quality, high sensitivity and index modulation, long dark lifetime and/or viable fixing mechanisms.² Organic photorefractive materials have been the subject of great interest³ during the past several years, but experiments involving practical data storage schemes have not been reported. We describe the results of recent investigations into high-density digital data storage in photorefractive polymer materials.

© 1996 Optical Society of America