I-Corps: Folio Photonics: A Multilayer Polymer Substrate for Optical Data Storage

未来在多媒体、数字存档、安全和许多其他方面的需求需要光学数据存储(ODS)应用的变革性概念。商业数据存储技术正在转向三维材料，但已知的概念受到限制和高昂的制造成本。在此，一种基于共挤多层膜的演示存储介质克服了这些问题，并允许太字节(TB)级、逐位光学数据存储。通过单光子吸收对荧光染料进行光漂白，将复杂图案和单个比特形式的信息记录在多达23个叠加层中。结果表明，这种制造工艺比目前的方法简单得多，并且能够实现几乎与蓝光兼容的读/写系统，从而产生比现有技术高出数量级的高密度多层存储介质容量。互联网、娱乐、医疗保健和其他众多行业中各种数字数据的爆炸式增长，将需要不断增加的档案存储、数据分发和安全容量。例如，云的快速增长？存储和访问将需要安全备份。目前的光学数据存储介质制造商不断报告他们努力增加容量和密度以满足未来的市场需求，例如超高清视频。在分析已报道的方法时，建议的制造多层聚合物数据存储基板的工艺可能具有变革性，从而实现真正可扩展的低成本方法。除了在数字数据存储中的潜在应用之外，这种薄膜还可以应用于需要写入多层数据以进行安全存储的许多其他技术。

Transformative concepts for optical data storage (ODS) applications are needed for future needs in multimedia, digital archiving, security, and many others. Commercial data storage technologies are moving to three-dimensional materials, but the known concepts suffer from limitations and high fabrication costs. Herein, a demonstrated storage medium, based on co-extruded multilayer films, overcomes these problems and allows for terabyte-level (TB), bit-by-bit optical data storage. Information in the form of complex patterns and individual bits was recorded in up to 23 superimposed layers by photobleaching a fluorescent dye via one-photon absorption. Results indicate this fabrication process is far simpler than current approaches and enables a read/write system that is nearly Blu-ray compatible, producing high-density multilayer storage media capacities orders of magnitude higher than the state of the art. The explosion of digital data of all kinds in the internet, entertainment, health care, and a plethora of other industries will require an ever increasing capacity of archival storage, data distribution and security. For example, the rapid growth of ?cloud? storage and access will require secure backup. Current manufacturers of optical data storage media have continuously reported their efforts to increase capacity and density to meet future market needs, such as super HD video. In analyzing the reported approaches, the proposed process for manufacturing multilayer polymer data storage substrates has the potential to be transformative, enabling a truly scalable, low-cost approach. In addition to potential applications in digital data storage, such films could be applicable in a number of other technologies requiring written multilayer data for secure storage.