Nanostructured glass used for high-density 5D data storage

Developed by researchers at the University’s Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC), the technique uses femtosecond lasers to deliver ultrashort pulses of light, writing data files in three layers of nanostructured dots separated by five micrometres. Size and orientation provide an additional two dimensions, making the storage 5D.

When the technology was first demonstrated back in 2013, a 300kb digital file was successfully recorded in 5D. The process has now been refined to the point where 360TB can be stored on a single disc.

“It is thrilling to think that we have created the technology to preserve documents and information and store it in space for future generations,” said Prof Peter Kazansky from the ORC. “This technology can secure the last evidence of our civilisation: all we’ve learnt will not be forgotten.”

The self-assembled nanostructures are created in fused quartz, changing the way light travels through the glass, modifying polarisation of light that can then be read by a combination of optical microscope and a polariser.