Micro-Holographic Storage and Threshold Holographic Recording Materials

Abstract

This paper presents a new injection-molded holographic recording media with a threshold optical response that is specifically designed for single-bit holographic data storage. The concept of a threshold response in a holographic recording material is discussed and the benefits of such a material relative to standard linear materials are evaluated. Micro-holograms are recorded in the new material and the performance is compared to similar measurements in a linear material. The results show that the material has a threshold recording energy of approximately 1 µJ/pulse in a low-numerical-aperture (NA) test system, corresponding to 50 nJ/pulse in a high-NA system. In addition, the threshold material shows a 1000-fold improvement in continuous-wave (CW) read-out stability and a 25% reduction in hologram size as compared to the linear material.