Method and apparatus for enhancing the utility of a photopolymer recording media for holographic data recording

• US 5,377,179 A
• Filed: 10/19/1993
• Issued: 12/27/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ForceTEC Co., Ltd. (Duk-Soo Kang)
• Original Assignee: Tamarack Storage Devices
• Inventors: Redfield, Stephen R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dzierzynski, Paul M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WONG, DON KITSUN
• Application Number:
  US08/139,284
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• Field of Search: 359/1, 359/15, 359/3, 369/275.1-275.4, 369/103, 369/109, 369/112, 430/1, 430/2, 430/3, 360/132, 360/133
• US Class Current: 369/275.1
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/0408 Total internal reflection [TIR] holograms, e.g. edge lit or substrate mode holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/181 Pre-exposure processing, e.g. hypersensitisation
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/2615 in physical contact, i.e. layered holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2260/12 Photopolymer
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2260/30 Details of photosensitive recording material not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2260/54 Photorefractive reactivity wherein light induces photo-generation, redistribution and trapping of charges then a modification of refractive index, e.g. photorefractive polymer
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2270/54 Recording material filed in recessed substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/0065 Recording, reproducing or erasing by using optical interference patterns, e.g. holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/044 using electro-optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/045 using photochromic storage elements

Abstract

A holographic storage media (10) is fabricated from a thin layer of photopolymer recording media. The photopolymer recording media is disposed between a substrate (48) and a capping layer (56). The media (10) is divided into a plurality of storage regions (54), which are formed within wells (52) to isolate each of the regions (54). During a record operation, a pumping operation is first performed to remove oxygen molecules from the media by bombarding the select region that is to have an interference pattern recorded therein with photons for a predetermined duration of time. Once the oxygen molecules have been depleted, then a data beam is generated with data superimposed thereon and a reference beam generated for interference with the data beam in the storage region (54). This results in the recording of an interference pattern.

Claims

1. A holographic storage device with archival feature, comprising:

a depletable holographic storage media for storing holographic representations of data, and having depletable constituents associated therewith that are depleted when data is holographically stored in said holographic storage media as part of the holographic data storage operation;

a housing for containing said holographic storage media, said housing operable to interface with an external holographic storage Read/Write system; and

an archival media associated with said holographic storage media for storing information relating to said amount of said depletable constituents remaining in the holographic storage media.

2. The holographic storage device of claim 1, wherein said depletable holographic storage media comprises a photopolymer material and said depletable constituents comprise the polymerization constituents that are required to polymerize said photopolymer material to form a holographic representation of data.

3. The holographic storage device of claim 1, wherein said archival media is operable to store information with respect to predetermined regions in said holographic storage media.

4. The holographic storage device of claim 1, wherein said archival media comprises a predetermined region of said holographic storage media in which archival data is stored as a holographic representation of said archival information.

5. A holographic storage device with archival feature, comprising:

a depletable holographic storage media for storing holographic representations of data, and having depletable constituents associated therewith that are depleted when data is holographically stored in said holographic storage media as part of the holographic data storage operation;

a housing for containing said holographic storage media, said housing operable to interface with an external holographic storage Read/Write system; and

an archival region integral with said holographic storage media and forming a part thereof for storing archival data relating to the amount of said depletable constituents remaining in said holographic storage media.

6. A method for storing holographic data in a depletable holographic storage media that is operable to store holographic representations of data, and which depletable holographic storage media has depletable constituents associated therewith that are depleted when data is holographically stored in the holographic storage media as pan of the holographic data storage operation, comprising the steps of:

storing information in predetermined data region of the holographic storage media such that constituents associated with the holographic storage media are depleted; and

holographically storing archival data in a predetermined archival region in the holographic storage media separate from the predetermined data regions, which predetermined archival region relates the amount of the depletable constituents remain in the overall holographic storage media.