This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I proposal defines a new paradigm for 3D optical storage which relies on two-photon write and read mechanisms based on rapid, reversible proton photo-isomerization in asymmetric phthalocyanine molecules specifically designed to operate via a proton switching mechanism that eschews molecular motion and depends only on electron reorganization. This work will clearly delineate a new figure-of-merit that identifies molecular structures capable of enhanced optical memory characteristics. It is anticipated that such structure-property relationships will result in new ultra-fast terabit storage capabilities at least one order of magnitude better than the best contemporary materials. The operational temperature limit for these new materials is predicted to be in the range of electronic (Peltier) cooling to, at best, room temperature operation.
This model will result in a radically new paradigm for an ultra-fast organic memory material, and a new benchmark for optical computing. Modern optical information storage (OIS) technology is shifting rapidly towards ultra-fast, multilayer, three-dimensional (3D) carriers of information. This technology could empower the average citizen with the capability of manipulating vast amounts of stored data, whether in text or visual format. Current technology cannot possibly meet this demand due to the inherent limitations on memory based on nuclear motion.
