Materials for holographic digital data storage

The high density and data rate performance demonstrated for holographic data storage continues to fuel research and development efforts, even in the face of continued rapid improvement in performance and decrease in cost of conventional technologies. A major remaining technical challenge for a commercially viable system is the development of a suitable storage medium, especially for rewrite-able storage. At IBM, we have tested a variety of potential holographic storage materials for both thin "disk" applications and bulk crystal stationary media applications. Here, we review the materials requirements for both geometries and assess the performance of some of the best materials candidates.