Nanoscale Bone-muscle Recording Mechanism for Updatable Holography and Applications

Updatable holography has great potential for next-generation holographic memory, true three-dimensional (3D) display and biomedical imaging applications due to its rewritability for the complete wave field of a 3D realistic object. However, none of existing materials or recording mechanisms are considered ideal for viable updatable holographic applications which require a combination of critical holographic performances such as high diffraction efficiency, long data persistence, controllable erasure, and high spatial resolution. Photopolymers are typical holographic recording materials possessing high diffraction efficiency and high photo-sensitivity, but they are irreversible and require post processing to fix holograms. Well-studied photorefractive polymers may be the best reversible holographic recording media. However, an electrical field with high voltage has to be applied across the photorefractive polymer for both recording and readout, to achieve high diffraction efficiency and data persistence. In this presentation, I will show an enhanced nanoscale bone-muscle recording mechanism for holographic applications by using a novel photo-reconfigurable material system. The collective reconfiguration effect of nanoscale domains in the polymer substrate results in remarkable enhancement of the strength of holographic grating formation. The stored hologram can persist with nonvolatility after turning off recording beams. In addition, the recording is updatable and fresh holograms can be recorded repeatedly at the same location after erasure. Compared to conventional recording materials, the bone-muscle strengthening concept enables enhancement of holographic performance with high diffraction efficiency, facilitating implementation of 3D display, 3D imaging, and ultrahigh-density data storage for a variety of applications.