Shanghai University of Technology publishes the latest Nature paper

With the increasing demand for human data, the requirements for data storage methods are also increasing. Optical Data Storage (ODS) is a light based storage method commonly used in DVDs, which is low-cost and very durable. But ODS usually stores data in a single layer, and the amount of data that can be stored is limited. Gu Min, academician of Shanghai University of Technology, Wen Jing, and Ruan Hao, researcher of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics, published a research paper entitled A 3D nanoscale optical disk memory with petabit capacity on the international top academic journal Nature. This paper describes a new method of storing more data in optical discs, which uses three-dimensional rather than two-dimensional methods to store data, with data storage capacity reaching an astonishing petabit level, or 1000 trillion bits (1015 bits).

In this study, Wen Jing, Ruan Hao, Gu Min, and others developed a new method that uses a three-dimensional optical data storage (ODS) structure to store data in hundreds of layers, rather than just one layer. This method utilizes a new storage medium called AIE-DDPR, which is made by doping aggregation induced luminescent dyes in photoresist films. This enables the thin film to be read and written at the nanoscale. This thin film is composed of molecules that absorb photons (photo initiators) and highly photosensitive molecules to obtain written data.

The research team used a 54 nanometer laser recording point size to store data. The disk medium had 100 layers of data, with a spacing of 1 micrometer between each layer, which greatly increased the surface density of the ODS film. The research team also found that information stored in deeper layers of the film has a quality comparable to data stored in shallower layers near the surface.

The principle and production process of nanoscale optical writing and reading for blank AIE-DDPR optical discs
The research team pointed out that the workflow for producing AIE-DDPR discs is compatible with existing methods for producing DVDs, indicating the possibility and economic feasibility of producing these films on a large scale. The paper also pointed out some limitations of this technology, including the writing speed and energy consumption of the process.

Source: Sohu