Plasmonic nano-structures for optical data storage

M. Mansuripur, A. R. Zakharian, A. Lesuffleur, Sang Hyun Oh, R. J. Jones, N. C. Lindquist, Hyungsoon Im, A. Kobyakov, J. V. Moloney

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

114 Scopus citations

Abstract

We propose a method of optical data storage that exploits the small dimensions of metallic nano-particles and/or nano-structures to achieve high storage densities. The resonant behavior of these particles (both individually and in small clusters) in the presence of ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared light may be used to retrieve pre-recorded information by far-field spectroscopic optical detection. In plasmonic data storage, a very short (∼ few femtoseconds) laser pulse is focused to a diffraction-limited spot over a small region of an optical disk containing metallic nano-structures. The digital data stored in each bit-cell, comprising multiple bits of information, modifies the spectrum of the incident light pulse. This spectrum is subsequently detected, upon reflection/transmission, with the aid of an optical spectrum analyzer. We present theoretical as well as preliminary experimental results that confirm the potential of plasmonic nano-structures for high-density optical data storage applications.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)14001-14014
Number of pages14
JournalOptics Express
Volume17
Issue number16
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 3 2009

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