R&D: ND1 Centers in Diamond for Long-term Data Storage in Extreme Conditions

arXiv has published an article written by Ahsan Ali, Department of Physics, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou & Postal Code, China, Wei Huang, Department of Physics, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou & Postal Code, China, and Department of Chemistry, Techion-Israel Institute of Technlogy, Haifa & Postal Code, Israel, and Khadga Jung Karki, Department of Physics, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou & Postal Code, China, and Matec, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou & Postal Code, China.

Abstract: “Practically feasible long-term data storage under extreme conditions is an unsolved problem in modern data storage systems. This study introduces a novel approach using ND1 centers in diamonds for high-density, three-dimensional optical data storage. By employing near-infrared femtosecond laser pulses, we demonstrate the creation of sub-micron ND1 defect sites with precise spatial control, enabling efficient data encoding as luminescent ”pits.” The ND1 centers exhibit robust photoluminescence in the UV spectrum, driven by three-photon absorption, which intrinsically provides a 3D reading of the data. Remarkably, these centers remain stable under extreme electric and magnetic fields, temperatures ranging from 4 K to 500 K, and corrosive chemical environments, with no degradation observed over extended periods. A reading speed of 500 MBits/s, limited by the lifetime of the photoluminescence, surpasses conventional Blu-ray technology while maintaining compatibility with existing optical data storage infrastructure. Our findings highlight diamond-based ND1 centers as a promising medium for durable, high-capacity data storage, capable of preserving critical information for millions of years, even under harsh conditions.“