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Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals Incorporating Nonlinear Optics

Spectral Hole Burning and Holographic Image Storage

Urs P. Wild, Alois Renn

Published Jan 1, 1990• 6 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Spectral hole-burning allows a large number of holograms to be stored within inhomogeneously broadened absorption bands of dye doped polymer films. Employing an electric field as an additional dimension to address the images, the storage of 25 holograms within the spectral range of one wavenumber has recently been achieved. It is shown that the relative phase between the holograms must be controlled in order to optimize the storage density.

DOI
10.1080/15421409008047446

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Spectral Hole‐Burning: Applications to Optical Image Storage

Cosimo De, Alois Renn, Urs P. Wild

Abstract Spectral hole‐burning was used to record information in the inhomogeneous broadened absorption band of free base chlorin in polyvinylbutyral at 1.7 K. The wavelength multiplexing property of these materials allows to store many images in the form of holograms in a single spot of about 5 mm diameter. The gray level pattern of the image is translated into a pattern of a spatially varying hole depth. Such a storage device can be considered three‐dimensional, involving the two spatial dimensions of the thin sample film and the dimension of the optical wavelength. If in addition an electric field is applied, a four‐dimensional storage device is created having two spatial, one wavelength and one electric field dimensions. Addressing a specific image is achieved by merely adjusting the read‐out wavelength and the value of the electric field to the values used during the storage process. No moving parts are involved at all. It is demonstrated that in chlorin at least 25 images can be stored in a single 1 cm−1 interval and in the electric field range of ± 100 kV/cm.

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Holographic optical data storage of 2000 images by photochemical hole burning

Bern Kohler, Stefan Bernet, Alois Renn +1 more

In addition to its importance for the optical spectroscopy of solids, photochemical spectral hole burning (PSHB) has attracted great interest due to its potential use in high density optical data storage [1]. By encoding information as a function of frequency an enormous increase in storage is possible compared to conventional optical storage materials. The most optimistic estimates predict an increase given by the ratio of the inhomogeneous linewidth to the homogeneous linewidth of the optical transition responsible for hole burning. Until now, however, there have been relatively few investigations of the practical limitations to storing a large number of spectral holes [2,3]. We describe here a recent experiment in which 2000 grayscale images were successfully recorded as holograms in the PSHB material chlorin in polyvinylbutyral. In holographic spectral hole burning the relative phase of the interfering light waves used to prepare the hologram has a strong influence on diffraction properties and, hence, on crosstalk between adjacent holograms [4]. By controlling the phase and frequency during burning in a novel manner, we have minimized crosstalk between the stored images.

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Holographic image storage in an inhomogeneously boadened absorption line of a persistent spectral-hole-burning material has been studied extensively.1 The great wavelength-multiplexing capability of a hole-burning material permits the storage of 103 –106 images in the same spatial area of a medium. Therefore, hole-burning holography is expected to be an ultrahigh-density image-storage technique. More than 2000 images have been successfully stored in organic-dye-doped polymer samples.1

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Multidimensional Holography by Persistent Spectral Hole Burning

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Persistent spectral hole burning (PSHB) in organic molecules doped in a polymer matrix at low temperatures allows optical recording of information in the dimensions of frequency and time, as well as in space and externally applied electric field. We use this special property to demonstrate new types of holograms, which extend conventional spatial-domain optical data storage into the new dimensions. Basic aspects of recording and playback of holograms by persistent spectral hole burning, including relation between frequency- and time-domain response function, is discussed. This paper is elucidating inherent relations between the time- and frequency-domain versions of PSHB holography. We show that by multiplexing holograms in the frequency dimension, we can store a large number (up to 12 000) of image holograms using a single spectral hole burning sample. In the time domain, we show storage and reproduction of ultrashort time-space images on the scale of 10 -12 −10 -13 s. Experiments demonstrating unusual hologram properties, such as causality-related asymmetry of diffraction, inversion of time coordinate, and ultrafast processing, are presented.

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The properties of holographic recording and detection of spectral holes in the frequency and electric-field dimension are investigated. To optimize the storage properties of optical memory devices, based on spectral hole burning and holography, cross-talk effects between adjacent holograms have to be minimized. These interactions depend on the relative phases of the holograms chosen during the recording stage. Using free-base chlorin (2,3-dihydroporphyrin) in polyvinyl butyral as host at a temperature of 1.7 K, the influence of the relative phase difference between holograms is demonstrated in both the frequency and the electric-field dimension. Experimental results are presented for rows and columns of holograms stored either in the laser frequency or the electric-field dimension and compared to transmission data. Using both dimensions a 10 x 10 matrix of holograms has been stored within the range of a single wave number.

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Optical Data Storage Using Persistent Spectral Hole Burning

Eric S. Maniloff, Stefan B. Altner, Stefan Bernet +2 more

The use of holography is attractive for optical data storage due to its poten­tial for implementing page oriented data storage systems. However, multiplexed recording using Bragg selective materials has not provided a large enough stor­age capability to justify the expense of these systems. Persistent spectral hole burning holography allows multiplexed recording using much smaller wavelength separations between the holograms, and hence dramatically increases the storage capacity possible in holographic memory systems [1]. A comparison between the wavelength selectivity obtained for transmission gratings recorded using hole burning in a dye doped polymer film versus Bragg selectivity in a 1 cm thick iron-doped lithium niobate crystal is shown in Fig. (1).

Joint International Symposium on Optical Memory and Optical Data Storage•Jan 1, 1993•0 citations
Spectral hole-burning allows a large number of holograms to be stored within inhomogeneously broadened absorption bands of dye doped polymer films. Employing an electric field as an additional dimension to address the images, the storage of 25 holograms within the spectral range of one wavenumber has recently been achieved. It is shown that the relative phase between the holograms must be controlled in order to optimize the storage density.
Abstract Spectral hole‐burning was used to record information in the inhomogeneous broadened absorption band of free base chlorin in polyvinylbutyral at 1.7 K. The wavelength multiplexing property of these materials allows to store many images in the form of holograms in a single spot of about 5 mm diameter. The gray level pattern of the image is translated into a pattern of a spatially varying hole depth. Such a storage device can be considered three‐dimensional, involving the two spatial dimensions of the thin sample film and the dimension of the optical wavelength. If in addition an electric field is applied, a four‐dimensional storage device is created having two spatial, one wavelength and one electric field dimensions. Addressing a specific image is achieved by merely adjusting the read‐out wavelength and the value of the electric field to the values used during the storage process. No moving parts are involved at all. It is demonstrated that in chlorin at least 25 images can be stored in a single 1 cm−1 interval and in the electric field range of ± 100 kV/cm.
In addition to its importance for the optical spectroscopy of solids, photochemical spectral hole burning (PSHB) has attracted great interest due to its potential use in high density optical data storage [1]. By encoding information as a function of frequency an enormous increase in storage is possible compared to conventional optical storage materials. The most optimistic estimates predict an increase given by the ratio of the inhomogeneous linewidth to the homogeneous linewidth of the optical transition responsible for hole burning. Until now, however, there have been relatively few investigations of the practical limitations to storing a large number of spectral holes [2,3]. We describe here a recent experiment in which 2000 grayscale images were successfully recorded as holograms in the PSHB material chlorin in polyvinylbutyral. In holographic spectral hole burning the relative phase of the interfering light waves used to prepare the hologram has a strong influence on diffraction properties and, hence, on crosstalk between adjacent holograms [4]. By controlling the phase and frequency during burning in a novel manner, we have minimized crosstalk between the stored images.
Persistent spectral hole burning (PSHB) in organic molecules doped in a polymer matrix at low temperatures allows optical recording of information in the dimensions of frequency and time, as well as in space and externally applied electric field. We use this special property to demonstrate new types of holograms, which extend conventional spatial-domain optical data storage into the new dimensions. Basic aspects of recording and playback of holograms by persistent spectral hole burning, including relation between frequency- and time-domain response function, is discussed. This paper is elucidating inherent relations between the time- and frequency-domain versions of PSHB holography. We show that by multiplexing holograms in the frequency dimension, we can store a large number (up to 12 000) of image holograms using a single spectral hole burning sample. In the time domain, we show storage and reproduction of ultrashort time-space images on the scale of 10 -12 −10 -13 s. Experiments demonstrating unusual hologram properties, such as causality-related asymmetry of diffraction, inversion of time coordinate, and ultrafast processing, are presented.
The properties of holographic recording and detection of spectral holes in the frequency and electric-field dimension are investigated. To optimize the storage properties of optical memory devices, based on spectral hole burning and holography, cross-talk effects between adjacent holograms have to be minimized. These interactions depend on the relative phases of the holograms chosen during the recording stage. Using free-base chlorin (2,3-dihydroporphyrin) in polyvinyl butyral as host at a temperature of 1.7 K, the influence of the relative phase difference between holograms is demonstrated in both the frequency and the electric-field dimension. Experimental results are presented for rows and columns of holograms stored either in the laser frequency or the electric-field dimension and compared to transmission data. Using both dimensions a 10 x 10 matrix of holograms has been stored within the range of a single wave number.
The use of holography is attractive for optical data storage due to its poten­tial for implementing page oriented data storage systems. However, multiplexed recording using Bragg selective materials has not provided a large enough stor­age capability to justify the expense of these systems. Persistent spectral hole burning holography allows multiplexed recording using much smaller wavelength separations between the holograms, and hence dramatically increases the storage capacity possible in holographic memory systems [1]. A comparison between the wavelength selectivity obtained for transmission gratings recorded using hole burning in a dye doped polymer film versus Bragg selectivity in a 1 cm thick iron-doped lithium niobate crystal is shown in Fig. (1).