Rewritable polarization-encoded multilayer data storage in 2,5-dimethyl-4-(p-nitrophenylazo)anisole doped polymer

Opt Lett. 2007 Feb 1;32(3):277-9. doi: 10.1364/ol.32.000277.

Abstract

We report a rewritable polarization-encoded multilayer data storage method with a polymer film doped with the azo dye DMNPAA (2,5-dimethyl-4-(p-nitrophenylazo)anisole). It is found that under two-photon excitation by a linearly polarized femtosecond laser beam at wavelength 780 nm the optical axis of DMNPAA molecules can be oriented to the perpendicular direction of the beam via a trans-cis-trans isomerization process. As a result, multilayer polarization-encoded optical data storage is demonstrated by recording two letters of a bit spacing of 4 microm in the same region of a given layer. It is shown that erasing and rewriting a particular layer is possible.