Seemingly Unlimited Lifetime Data Storage in Nanostructured Glass

Abstract

We demonstrate recording and retrieval of the digital document with a nearly unlimited lifetime. The recording process of multiplexed digital data was implemented by femtosecond laser nanostructuring of fused quartz. The storage allows unprecedented parameters including hundreds of terabytes per disc data capacity, thermal stability up to 1000 °C, and virtually unlimited lifetime at room temperature. We anticipate that this demonstration will open a new era of eternal data archiving.

Optical storage arrays: a perspective for future big data storage

“…With a precise control of its focal intensities through vectorial Debye focusing of the beam using a high-NA objective, up to eight levels can be recorded and distinguished in photobleaching polymers 26 and glass materials. 27,28 The dimension of the beam that has received the least attention is the angular momentum (AM), which can be carried by photons in the forms of spin AM and orbital AM. As a demonstration of the principle of AM information multiplexing, the AM of light has been used to create orthogonal and spatially distinct streams of data-transmitting channels multiplexed in a single fiber.…”

“…Permanent laser-induced physical changes, such as voids in polymers 62 and glass materials, 63 provide an Optical storage arrays M Gu et al 6 approach to long-lifetime storage without information degradation. Laser inscriptions in glass materials 27,28 can withstand temperatures of up to 1000 6 C and maintain data stability and readability for up to thousands of years, in principle. The demonstrated physical changes including voids and inscription are limited by a low capacity of approximately 50 GB per disc because the physical size of each bit cannot be smaller than the diffraction barrier.…”

Polarization sensitive anisotropic structuring of silicon by ultrashort light pulses

“…1,2 Consequently, femtosecond laser assisted imprinting has been exploited for implementing a high capacity multi-dimensional optical data storage, 3 fabrication of polarization sensitive elements, 4 micro-fluidic channels, 5 and waveguides. 6 The interaction of ultrashort light pulses with materials is defined by multiple parameters, among which polarization plays a significant roles.…”

Progress in ultrafast laser processing and future prospects

“…As described in Sections 3 and 4, self-assembled nanogratings can be formed at the focused area by irradiation with a linearly polarized ultrafast laser beam. The formation of such complex nanostructures has realized 5D data storage because birefringence induced by the nanograting provides the fourth and fifth dimensions by the slow axial orientation and strength of retardance, respectively, in addition to the XYZ dimensions in space [95]. The slow axial orientation and the strength of retardance can be independently manipulated according to the polarization and intensity of the incident beam.…”