Data storage

Abstract

The invention relates to materials and devices including these materials which have three-dimensional optical data storage capabilities, as well as to related methods and apparatus for storage, reading and erasing optical data. In particular, the invention relates to a three-dimensional optical data storage device comprising a data storage material which comprises a polymer matrix and nematic liquid crystal droplets wherein the nematic liquid crystal droplets are dispersed through the polymer matrix. The invention also relates to a method of storing optical data comprising exposing zones of data storage material to coherent polarised infra-red light at a wavelength and power sufficient to cause alignment of directors of illuminated zones of nematic liquid crystal droplets with in the data storage material, as well as to a method of reading optical data from a three-dimensional optical data storage device which comprises exposing data storage material which has optical data stored therein to coherent polarised infra-red light at a wavelength and power sufficient to cause zones of aligned directors of nematic liquid crystal droplets within the material to fluoresce at a detectably greater intensity compared to zones of non-aligned directors and detecting fluorescence within the zones of aligned directors.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.