Optical data storage by use of dye-doped minute spheres

We have fabricated a new optical storage media using minute spheres arranged on surface relief grating (SRG). By using minute spheres as recording bits, we can limit recordable regions by sphere size, since one mintue sphere becomes one recording bit. We can realize high resolutive reconstruction in the plane direction. We make surface relief structures on a polymer thin fim, and tried to perform diffusion arrangement and adsorptive fixation of minute spheres on it. The stability of arranged spheres was confirmed for heating and washing. Furthermore, we tried dipping method for more simple arranging minute spheres on a large area of the substrate and have made a monolayer sample of the spheres. We are able to realize high sensitive reconstruction of the media using the confocal optical system as record and readout systems. We have also succeeded in doping the recordable dyes in minute spheres.