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Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE

Laser Light-Induced Physical Processes In Optical Materials: Persistent Spectral Hole-Burning

W. E. Moerner

Published Dec 12, 1985• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Persistent spectral hole-burning (PHB) is a photoinduced process in low temperature solids that may lead to a possible future application, frequency domain optical storage. The feasibility of such a data storage device depends critically upon having recording materials that undergo spectral hole-burning with certain well-defined characteristics. It is a stimulating challenge for the laser spectroscopist, photochemist, and physicist to find suitable materials and to devise detection techniques that make this application possible.

DOI
10.1117/12.975359

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Molecular electronics for frequency domain optical storage: Persistent spectral hole-burning - A review

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Persistent spectral hole-burning (PHB) is a phenomenon that allows an additional dimension, the frequency at which spectral holes are written, to be used to encode digital data. PHB can be used to store a large number of bits of information in the volume irradiated by a focused laser beam, leading to a possible future storage technology, frequency domain optical storage. A large number of photochemical and photophysical mechanisms have led to the production of spectral holes; a wealth of information has been learned about host-guest interactions, dephasing, and solid-state photochemistry at low temperatures. The general structure of a frequency domain optical store places a set of constraints on the engineering of such a system as well as on the materials used as recording media. The dynamics of the hole-burning process are crucial; for monophotonic mechanisms in particular, a set of stringent constraints can be derived that limit the applicability of this class of materials. Recent discoveries of two-color, photon-gated hole-burning offer special promise for nondestructive reading and improved performance.

•Mar 25, 1985•10 citations

Gated spectral hole burning for frequency-domain optical recording

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Persistent spectral hole-burning (PHB) permits use of the optical frequency for encoding digital information through the presence and absence of spectral holes that are burned in inhomogeneously broadened absorption lines at low temperatures. The combination of spectral and spatial data recording can make storage densities of 1010 bits/cm2 possible. The most challenging innovation needed to achieve a practical storage system is presented by the complex materials requirements1 on a successful storage medium.

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Frequency Domain Optical Storage: The Importance of Photon-Gated Materials

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Persistent spectral hole-burning (PHB, also called photochemical hole-burning) permits use of the optical frequency for encoding digital information through the presence and absence of spectral holes that are burned in inhomogeneously broadened absorption lines at low (liquid helium) temperatures. The optical frequency or wavelength at which a given hole is burned acts as an additional dimension for data storage, hence this optical recording scheme has been called Frequency Domain Optical Storage (FDOS). The combination of spectral and spatial data-recording can make storage densities in excess of 1010 bits/cm2 possible; furthermore, since rotation of the recording medium is not necessary, shorter random access times will result. The future success of the FDOS concept will rely on progress in several technological and engineering areas as well as on advances in several critical materials areas1.

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Udo Bogner

Persistent spectral hole burning (PSHB) is a new method in the laser spectroscopy of solids. This method is based on the existence of zero-phonon lines in the spectra of light-absorbing species, such as impurities (molecules, ions, etc.) or color centers in crystalline or amorphous materials. This chapter describes the electric field effects on persistent spectral holes and in particular special applications in electrooptics and photonics. It demonstrates that PSHB is useful not only for digital processes, such as data storage in the electric field domain, but also for analog processes concerning, in particular, the modulation and pulse forming of laser beams and hybrid optical bistability. The chapter also discusses the future prospects of the possible applications of PSHB and electric field effects. For future possible applications involving PSHB techniques in everyday appliances, it is important to provide room-temperature operation.

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Persistent spectral hole-burning (PSHB) and its applications in data storage and processing are described. Purely electronic zero-phonon lines having very high peak values in the low temperature impurity spectra of solids are considered. Limitations for very large capacity PSHB memories put by the number of impurity molecules to store one bit are discussed. Doped with impurities optical fiber memory is proposed as a means to have low impurity concentration simultaneously with a large number of the impurities to store one bit. Bit-by-bit (digital) storage is compared to the distributed one and the advantages of the two versions of the latter -- PSHB holography and PSHB modeling of neural networks -- are considered. An experiment of simultaneous read-out over coordinates and frequency in neural network modeling is described. Requirements to PSHB materials and possibilities of the existence of materials effective at high temperatures are discussed.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Apr 27, 1993•0 citations

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W. E. Moerner, Manfred Gehrtz, Howard W. H. Lee +4 more

Persistent spectral hole-burning (PHB) has been proposed as the essential element of a frequency domain optical storage system1 in which the frequency at which a hole is burned in an inhomogeneously broadened absorption line at low temperatures serves as an additional dimension for the storage of digital information. Essentially all of the mechanisms studied until recently have been single-photon mechanisms, i.e., the photoionduced change leading to hole-burning (writing) for a given center occurs with a certain fixed probability after the absorption of one photon. Such linear, monophotonic processes suffer from the drawback that the act of detecting holes (reading) can also produce changes in the absorption line. Recent modeling studies of the generalized single-photon process2 have shown that thousands to tens of thousands of reads can be obtained from single-photon mechanisms only when the material possesses high quantum efficiency and low absorption cross section. These restrictive requirements do not apply for photon-gated hole-burning mechanisms, i.e., those mechanisms for which hole-burning occurs only in the presence of an additional “gating” light source, because for these mechanisms, reading is performed in the absence of the gating light and is therefore nondestructive.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics•Jan 1, 1985•0 citations
Persistent spectral hole-burning (PHB) is a photoinduced process in low temperature solids that may lead to a possible future application, frequency domain optical storage. The feasibility of such a data storage device depends critically upon having recording materials that undergo spectral hole-burning with certain well-defined characteristics. It is a stimulating challenge for the laser spectroscopist, photochemist, and physicist to find suitable materials and to devise detection techniques that make this application possible.
Persistent spectral hole-burning (PHB) is a phenomenon that allows an additional dimension, the frequency at which spectral holes are written, to be used to encode digital data. PHB can be used to store a large number of bits of information in the volume irradiated by a focused laser beam, leading to a possible future storage technology, frequency domain optical storage. A large number of photochemical and photophysical mechanisms have led to the production of spectral holes; a wealth of information has been learned about host-guest interactions, dephasing, and solid-state photochemistry at low temperatures. The general structure of a frequency domain optical store places a set of constraints on the engineering of such a system as well as on the materials used as recording media. The dynamics of the hole-burning process are crucial; for monophotonic mechanisms in particular, a set of stringent constraints can be derived that limit the applicability of this class of materials. Recent discoveries of two-color, photon-gated hole-burning offer special promise for nondestructive reading and improved performance.
Persistent spectral hole-burning (PHB) permits use of the optical frequency for encoding digital information through the presence and absence of spectral holes that are burned in inhomogeneously broadened absorption lines at low temperatures. The combination of spectral and spatial data recording can make storage densities of 1010 bits/cm2 possible. The most challenging innovation needed to achieve a practical storage system is presented by the complex materials requirements1 on a successful storage medium.
Persistent spectral hole-burning (PHB, also called photochemical hole-burning) permits use of the optical frequency for encoding digital information through the presence and absence of spectral holes that are burned in inhomogeneously broadened absorption lines at low (liquid helium) temperatures. The optical frequency or wavelength at which a given hole is burned acts as an additional dimension for data storage, hence this optical recording scheme has been called Frequency Domain Optical Storage (FDOS). The combination of spectral and spatial data-recording can make storage densities in excess of 1010 bits/cm2 possible; furthermore, since rotation of the recording medium is not necessary, shorter random access times will result. The future success of the FDOS concept will rely on progress in several technological and engineering areas as well as on advances in several critical materials areas1.
Persistent spectral hole burning (PSHB) is a new method in the laser spectroscopy of solids. This method is based on the existence of zero-phonon lines in the spectra of light-absorbing species, such as impurities (molecules, ions, etc.) or color centers in crystalline or amorphous materials. This chapter describes the electric field effects on persistent spectral holes and in particular special applications in electrooptics and photonics. It demonstrates that PSHB is useful not only for digital processes, such as data storage in the electric field domain, but also for analog processes concerning, in particular, the modulation and pulse forming of laser beams and hybrid optical bistability. The chapter also discusses the future prospects of the possible applications of PSHB and electric field effects. For future possible applications involving PSHB techniques in everyday appliances, it is important to provide room-temperature operation.
Persistent spectral hole-burning (PSHB) and its applications in data storage and processing are described. Purely electronic zero-phonon lines having very high peak values in the low temperature impurity spectra of solids are considered. Limitations for very large capacity PSHB memories put by the number of impurity molecules to store one bit are discussed. Doped with impurities optical fiber memory is proposed as a means to have low impurity concentration simultaneously with a large number of the impurities to store one bit. Bit-by-bit (digital) storage is compared to the distributed one and the advantages of the two versions of the latter -- PSHB holography and PSHB modeling of neural networks -- are considered. An experiment of simultaneous read-out over coordinates and frequency in neural network modeling is described. Requirements to PSHB materials and possibilities of the existence of materials effective at high temperatures are discussed.
Persistent spectral hole-burning (PHB) has been proposed as the essential element of a frequency domain optical storage system1 in which the frequency at which a hole is burned in an inhomogeneously broadened absorption line at low temperatures serves as an additional dimension for the storage of digital information. Essentially all of the mechanisms studied until recently have been single-photon mechanisms, i.e., the photoionduced change leading to hole-burning (writing) for a given center occurs with a certain fixed probability after the absorption of one photon. Such linear, monophotonic processes suffer from the drawback that the act of detecting holes (reading) can also produce changes in the absorption line. Recent modeling studies of the generalized single-photon process2 have shown that thousands to tens of thousands of reads can be obtained from single-photon mechanisms only when the material possesses high quantum efficiency and low absorption cross section. These restrictive requirements do not apply for photon-gated hole-burning mechanisms, i.e., those mechanisms for which hole-burning occurs only in the presence of an additional “gating” light source, because for these mechanisms, reading is performed in the absence of the gating light and is therefore nondestructive.