HOLOGRAPHIC DATA

STORAGE

Nityanand Sharma
3rd SemCELOS
,CUSAT
HOLOGRAPHIC DATA STORAGE

• Optical disc technology still in research

stage.
• Storage capacity up to 3.9 terabytes.
• Data transfer rate of 1 gigabit/sec.
• 6000 times the capacity of a CD-ROM.
• 830 times the capacity of a DVD.
• 160 times the capacity of a Blu-ray
discs
 Basics of holography
• Holography was invented in 1947 by
Hungarian physicist Dennis Gabor .
• Holography means complete recording
• The first holograms were made of normal
(non-coherent) light.
• The theories found real application only
after the discovery of the laser.
 Basics of holography
• Holography is a method of recording
information from a three dimensional
object.
• Light wave interference pattern is
recorded
• Recorded pattern is called hologram.
• Hologram can produce a 3-dimensional
image when illuminated properly.
 Recording of hologram
 A laser beam is split into two- a reference
beam and an object beam
 Reference beam aimed directly onto photo
sensitive plate
 Object beam is aimed at object.
 The object reflects some of the light on the
holographic film-plate.
 The superposition of these two beams
produces an interference pattern on the film. This
is the hologram
Recording of hologram
.
Interference Patterns

Information Two crests coincide-

Beam (A) Constructive interference

Crest of A concides with

trough of B-Destructive
intererence

Referance beam (B)

Reconstruction of hologram
 Reconstruction of hologram

• Illuminate the hologram by a beam called

reconstruction beam from original
direction of the reference beam.
• 3-D virtual image of the object appears
where the original image was.
• Reconstructed wave front is sent to a
CMOS sensor to produce original image.
 Reconstruction of hologram
• The hologram is sensitive to the exact
recreation of the reference beam. A
change in angle, position, or wavelength
of the beam will lead to a failure to
reconstruct the image.
• The sensitivity increases with thickness of
the holographic material.
 Multiplexing

• Multiple object images can be stored in a

single piece of holographic material.
• Multiplexing can be accomplished by
changing either the angle or wavelength of
the reference beam or by changing
position of the holographic material
relative to the beams
 HOLOGRAPHIC DATA
STORAGE
• Electronic data of 1s and 0s converted
to a page containing light and dark
areas by Spatial Light Modulator (SLM)
• Signal/information beam passes
through the SLM.
• Reference beam and signal beam
meet to form the holographic data.
• Data stored on photopolymer disc as
hologram.
HOLOGRAPHIC DATA STORAGE
Two types
• Two axis Holographic Data Storage

• Collinear Holographic Data Storage

Two axis Holography
 Basic components

• Blue-green argon laser

• Beam splitters to spilt the laser beam
• Mirrors to direct the laser beams
• Spatial light modulator ( LCD panel)
• Lenses to focus the laser beams
• Lithium-niobate crystal or photopolymer
• Charge Coupled Device (CCD) camera
 Lasers
• Lasers generate coherent light.
• The laser beam is split into two separate
beams: a reference beam, and an information
beam
• Signal/information beam passes through the
SLM.
• Reference beam and signal beam meet to form
the holographic data.
 Spatial Light Modulator
• SLM imposes some form of spatially-varying
modulation on a beam of light.
• The SLM is a planar array of thousand of pixels.
• Each pixel is an independent optical switch that
can be set to either block or pass light.
• SLM translates electronic data of 1’s and 0’s into
an optical ‘checker board’ pattern of light and
dark pixels.
Spatial Light Modulator
 Spatial Light Modulator
• Randomly-arranged LCs pass light
normally (“off” state)
• Liquid crystals arranged to block light (“on”
state)
Spatial Light Modulator

checker board pattern

 Spatial Light Modulator
• Signal/information beam passes through
the SLM.
• Portions of light are blocked by opaque
areas and portions pass through the
translucent areas.
• Modern LCD display technology allows
high-resolution rapidly changeable SLMs.
Arrays of MEMS micro mirrors can also be
used.
 Storage medium
Requirements
• linear response to light
• Stability of the recorded pattern
• low noise
Materials
• Low-shrinkage photopolymers are used in Write
once, read many (WORM) materials.
• Lithium-niobate (LiNbO3 ) doped with Fe, can be
erased and rewritten via exposure to blue light.
Reading System
 Readout
• Data are read using an array of detector
pixels such as CCD camera or CMOS
sensing array.
• Interpret the opaque and translucent
areas as 0’s and 1’s of the binary code
Two axis Holography- Disadvantages

• Reference beam and object beam are

sent at two different axes.
• Highly complex optical system.
• Contained no servo data.
• Incompatibility with current technology.
 Collinear holography

• Developed by Optware
• Information and reference beams travel
in the same axis and strike recording
medium at same angle.
• Requires only less complex optical
system.
• Two lasers are used
• Green (data recording & reading)
• Red (servo mechanism).
Collinear holography
 The HVD : Writing system
System uses beams of two different
wavelengths.
• 532 nm Green solid laser for data
recording and reading
• 650 nm Red semiconductor laser to
control tracking and focus servo control.
Adjust the focal point of the objective lens
onto the recording media correctly and to
locate the address of the holograms.
The HVD : Writing system
Structure of HVD

1.Green laser
2.Red laser
3. Hologram (data)
4. Polycarbon layer
5. Photo polymeric layer
6. Distance layers
7. Dichroic layer
8. Aluminum reflective
layer
9. Transparent base
P. PIT
 Structure of HVD
• Green laser (532 nm) for data recording
and reading.
• Red laser (650 nm) for addressing and
servo mechanism.
• Dichroic mirror layer reflects green
laser and passes red laser. Prevents
the interference between green laser
and servo data pits.
 Structure of HVD
• Polycarbon layer provides the disc depth
necessary for laser focus .It also gives the disc
enough strength to remain flat.
• Interference pattern is recorded on the
photopolymer layer (Data containing layer)

• Aluminum reflective layer reflect red light

 Collinear holography vs
Two axis holography.
• CMOS
Information Beam
Reference Beam
Obj. Lens 2
Reconstruction Beam

Media Reflective Layer with

Servo and Address information
Obj. Lens 1 Disc
Obj. Lens
SLM
CMOS
( SLM

Conventional Holography Collinear Holography

 Holographic Recording Patterns

“Stop and Go” “On the Fly”

Conventional Holography Collinear Holography
Comparison with other Technologies

1 Bit Page
Data Data

Volumetric
~1μm Substrate Recording
Layer

Surface
Recording
Layer
Data are recorded on to the Page data are recorded into the
surface as bit by bit volumetric recording layer
in CD/DVD System in Holographic recording

Conventional Optical Disc HVD

Optical Disc Technology

0.7 GB 9 GB 30~50 GB
 .
.

Holographic versatile disc developed by Optware

HVD-Applications

Portable Computing
Video-On-Demand

Multimedia Consumer Audio/Video

 Imagine ...

 A disc with 4000 Hours of Video

 The entire Encyclopedia Britannica stored in a

Dime...

 A device that can store information 1000 times

more densely and fetch it 100 times more quickly than
any Magnetic or Optical Disk….
Holographic Technology will bring this,
and Much More...

At Our Fingertips…
Questions ?
 References
• Ashley. J.et.al, (2000): Holographic Data Storage. IBM Journal of
Research and Development.Vol 44(3) 341-367.
http://www.research.ibm.com/journal/rd/443/ashley.html

• Hideyoshi Horimal and Xiaodi Tan(2005): Advanced Collinear

Holography . OPTICAL REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 2 (2005) 90–92

• Huang, T.G. (2005): Holographic Memory.

http://www.technologyreview.com

• Mellor, C. (2006): Chasing the Mirage? Some Holographic Storage

Facts of Life. http://www.techworld.com.

• Optware Corporation; www.optware.com

• InPhase Technologies. ; http://www.inphase-tech.com/

• www.howstuffwork.com
Thank You