- Optera uses photoluminescence instead of lasers for long-term optical storage solutions
- Spectral hole burning encodes data by manipulating nanoscale phosphor lattice imperfections
- Multibit encoding allows multiple bits to be stored per physical location on the medium.
Dr Nicolas Riesen from the University of South Australia is leading the development of an optical storage archive that records data using photoluminescence rather than physical laser etching.
The technology operates at room temperature and uses relatively low-cost lasers instead of the femtosecond systems used in some competing glass files.
The initial deployment of this file is a 500GB proof-of-concept medium planned for 2026 and represents the first step towards higher capacity glass-based storage.
From disks to glass tablets
A similar technology previously developed by Dr. Nicolas Riesen explored spectral hole-based optical storage using different nanoparticle materials.
This work provides the basis for the current 500 GB glass tablet proof of concept, and shows a progression from disk-centric experiments to higher capacity file formats.
Optera’s goal is to achieve long-term data retention with lower power requirements, although the project remains experimental.
The recording medium used by Optera is based on a mixed halide of phosphorus fluorobromide or fluorochloride doped with divalent samarium ions.
This material, known as Ba₀.₅Sr₀.₅FX:Sm²⁺, has a long history in computed radiography imaging plates, where photostimulated luminescence is well understood.
In Optera’s system, nanoscale imperfections in the crystal lattice are deliberately controlled to change the way the material emits light after exposure to specific laser wavelengths.
Data writing is based on spectral hole burning, where narrow bands of wavelength are selectively altered within the phosphor.
When a laser scans these regions during reading, the material either emits photoluminescence or suppresses it.
The detected light signal, or the absence of one, represents stored digital information.
This method avoids physically reshaping the medium, but introduces sensitivity to optical stability and readout accuracy that independent testing has not yet confirmed.
Optera suggests that it can increase storage density by encoding information through variations in light intensity rather than relying solely on binary on or off states.
The project describes this approach as offering NAND-like multi-bit capability, with SLC, MLC, and TLC-style bit levels represented by different signal strengths.
Moving this concept from laboratory measurements to error-tolerant, repeatable scale readings remains an unsolved technical challenge.
According to project documentation by optical researcher Dr. Nicolas Riesen, the proof-of-concept medium is expected to reach 1 TB in 2027 and several terabytes around 2030.
These goals serve as research milestones, and commercialization depends on manufacturing partners and cost feasibility.
Although the technology appears promising, several uncertainties remain.
Practical read and write speeds, long-term durability under repeated access, and real-world production costs are still unknown, leaving its feasibility beyond experimental research unresolved.
Through Blocks and files
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