This SBIR Phase I project is directed toward developing new materials for optical recording. At present, no optical recording material is available that meets all of the requirements for applications such as optical data storage, high resolution spatial light modulators and reconfigurable optical interconnects. The ideal optical recording material would have high resolution, permanent information storage, read without erase capability, high sensitivity, high photochemical and thermal stability, and optical erase capability. Photochromic materials are promising optical recording materials since they exhibit high resolution, are easy to fabricate, are inexpensive, and are relatively sensitive to recording light. However, information recorded in current photochromic materials cannot be read without erasure unless a different wavelength of light is used for reading and recording. The recorded information also tends to fade with time and use, and the materials photodegrade. The overall goal for this program is to overcome the limitations of existing optical recording materials through the development of a novel photochromic material that meets all of the above requirements for optical recording. This project will show that information can be permanently recorded into this material and subsequently read without erasure using the same wavelength of light. This will be accomplished by developing a novel, reversible fixing method. In addition, the project will show that recorded information can be erased and re-recorded. In Phase II, the firm will develop these materials with respect to the fixing method, recording sensitivity, and other important optical properties, and demonstrate the utility of these materials by investigating relevant applications, such as holography and optical computing. The successful development of the optical recording material proposed here would enable the production of high-density optical memories with the potential to store 1 terabit of information within a volume as small as 1 cm3. Very high resolution spatial light modulators. reconfigurable optical interconnects, holographic recording materials, and optical switching materials would also benefit from this material.
