Diarylethene Materials for Re-writable Volume Holographic Data Storage

The photochromic diarylethene, 1,2-bis(2-methyl-5-(4-formylphenyl)-thien-3-yl)perfluorocyclopentene (1a) is studied and its applicable potential in re-writable volume holographic data storage is verified. Holographic recording films of 10-μm thickness have been fabricated. The refractive index modulation (Δn = 1.15 x 10^-3) between the open- and close-ring forms is detected to be large enough so that the films are suitable for the production of volume holographic storage. The experiments of angle multiplexing and rewriting holograms show that the materials are fit for volume holographic data storage.