PHOTOREFRACTIVE MATERIALS PROCESSING FOR HOLOGRAPHIC DATA STORAGE

Holographic data storage based on photorefractive recording materials is a promising approach to overcoming the present I/O bottleneck that exists between high-speed microprocessors and mass storage peripherals. Many of the needed optical systems components (SLMs, CCDs, and tunable dioded lasers) are now available with sufficient performance specifications; however, the lack of a suitable volume recording medium is the primary problem. The medium should possess high sensitivity, large dynamic range, and a reliable fixing mechanism. No single material to date safisfies all of these important criteria. We propose to overcome this limitation by applying novel post-growth processing treatments to further enhance the performance of two very promising material candidates, LiNbO3 ans SBN. The treatments are designed to provide and modify the necessary dopant properties to yield an improved recording sensitivity and a viable long-term fixing capability, to be used in a first-generation ready-only mass storage demonstration device.