High-contrast bit-oriented three-dimensional optical data storage in doped polymers

Summary form only given. Three-dimensional (3-D) optical memory promises a very high data capacity and a high speed of readout. Bit-oriented methods based on photosensitive dopant or photopolymer transformation show a low contrast and limited lifetime of recorded data. To avoid these drawbacks, it has been proposed to record information by means of a local optical breakdown in transparent materials. We use spiropyran as a dopant of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) to facilitate a localized damage of the polymer lattice.