The Chromophore

Mempile has used traditional chemical synthesis along with advanced quantum mechanical calculations and cutting-edge photophysical laboratory experiments to design molecularly-engineered nonlinear optical chromophores. These molecules have been optimized not only for their two-photon response, but also for other desired capabilities such as data lifetime, cost, chemical stability, and processability (for manufacturing). In disc production, the chromophores are first incorporated in a special plastic designed to enhance their abilities, then this plastic is injection-molded into discs. The plastic used is a relative of PMMA (e.g., Plexiglas^®), and the process of scaling up to production volumes has been shown to be efficient and economical. 

The chromophores change their chemical structure upon a two-photon interaction with red laser. This change causes a thermally stable modulation of the two-photon fluorescence signal without affecting the linear optical properties of the material. Thus, massively multilayer data access is possible. Recording and reading access different photochemical pathways, circumventing the potential issue of destructive reading.