Methods and systems for recording to holographic storage media

• US 8,786,923 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2005
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Akonia Holographics, LLC (Apple Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Akonia Holographics, LLC (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Chuang, Ernest Y., Curtis, Kevin R., Yang, Yunping
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Audrey Y
• Application Number:
  US11/131,601
• Publication Number:
  US 20050254108A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,353 Days
• Field of Search: 359/10, 359/11, 359/12, 359/15, 359/16, 359/30, 359/35, 359/20, 359/21, 359/1
• US Class Current: 359/12
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/20 Copying holograms by holographic , i.e. optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/26 Processes or apparatus specially adapted to produce multiple sub- holograms or to obtain images from them, e.g. multicolour technique
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/2645 Multiplexing processes, e.g. aperture, shift, or wavefront multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/0415 for recording reflection holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/0428 Image holography, i.e. an image of the object or holobject is recorded G03H1/0406 takes precedence; holographic microscope G03H2001/005
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2210/33 3D/2D, i.e. the object is formed of stratified 2D planes, e.g. tomographic data
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2223/19 Microoptic array, e.g. lens array
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2007/13727 Compound lenses, i.e. two or more lenses co-operating to perform a function, e.g. compound objective lens including a solid immersion lens, positive and negative lenses either bonded together or with adjustable spacing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/0065 Recording, reproducing or erasing by using optical interference patterns, e.g. holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/26 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/28 Re-recording, i.e. transcribing information from one optical record carrier on to one or more similar or dissimilar record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/042 using information stored in the form of interference pattern

Abstract

According to one aspect and example, a method for recording holographic media and/or holographic master data masks includes recording at least a first hologram or information layer with a first holographic medium (e.g., a “submaster”) and recording at least a second information layer with a second holographic medium (e.g., a second “submaster”). The first information layer and the second information layer from the first and second holographic media are then sequentially reconstructed and stored with a single holographic master medium (e.g., a “master”). The holographic master may then be used to record the stored first and second information layers into additional holographic media, for example, into HROM devices or the like.

Claims

1. A method of recording holograms in a target medium, the method comprising:

sequentially recording first multiple holograms to a first holographic medium, wherein adjacent holograms of the first multiple holograms partially spatially overlap each other;

sequentially recording second multiple holograms to a second holographic medium, wherein adjacent holograms of the second multiple holograms partially spatially overlap each other;

reconstructing the first multiple holograms from the first holographic medium in parallel and recording the reconstructed first multiple holograms in a holographic master medium;

reconstructing the second multiple holograms from the second holographic medium in parallel and recording the reconstructed second multiple holograms in the holographic master medium, wherein said recording the reconstructed first multiple holograms in the holographic master medium and said recording the reconstructed second multiple holograms in the holographic master medium include one or more multiplexing techniques selected from the group consisting of angle, wavelength, confocal, fractal, phase code, and peristrophic multiplexing, such that the reconstructed first multiple holograms overlap the reconstructed second multiple holograms in the holographic master medium; and

reconstructing holograms stored in the holographic master medium and recording the reconstructed holograms in the target medium.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reconstructed holograms recorded in the target medium include information from the first multiple holograms and the second multiple holograms.

3. A target medium manufactured by the method of claim 2.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the target medium is a holographic read only medium.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said reconstructing the first multiple holograms from the first holographic medium in parallel includes illuminating the first holographic medium with a first reference beam;

said recording the reconstructed first multiple holograms in the holographic master medium includes illuminating the holographic master medium with the first reference beam;

said reconstructing the second multiple holograms from the second holographic medium in parallel includes illuminating the second holographic medium with a second reference beam; and

said recording the reconstructed second multiple holograms in the holographic master medium includes illuminating the holographic master medium with the second reference beam.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the first holographic medium and the holographic master medium are positioned such that a portion of the first reference beam incident on the holographic master medium is undepleted by the first holographic medium; and

the second holographic medium and the holographic master medium are positioned such that a portion of the second reference beam incident on the holographic master medium is undepleted by the second holographic medium.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein:

said sequentially recording the first multiple holograms to a first holographic medium includes illuminating the first holographic medium with first object beams characterized by Fourier planes of the first object beams being disposed at the first holographic medium; and

said sequentially recording the second multiple holograms to a second holographic medium includes illuminating the second holographic medium with second object beams characterized by Fourier planes of the second object beams being disposed at the second holographic medium.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said reconstructing holograms stored in the holographic master medium and storing the reconstructed holograms in the target medium is performed with a Fourier plane of the reconstructed holograms residing outside the target medium.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said reconstructing holograms stored in the holographic master medium and storing the reconstructed holograms in the target medium is performed without a Fourier plane of the reconstructed holograms residing at the target medium.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recording multiple holograms in a set of N holographic mediums, the multiple holograms including a plurality of holograms in each of the N holographic mediums, wherein;

the set of N holographic mediums includes the first holographic medium and the second holographic medium;

the plurality of holograms of the first holographic medium includes the first multiple holograms; and

the plurality of holograms of the second holographic medium includes the second multiple holograms; and

sequentially illuminating the each of the N holographic mediums with a reference beam to reconstruct and record the plurality of holograms from the each of the N holographic mediums to the holographic master medium.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the multiple holograms are recorded in the holographic master medium in an overlapping manner utilizing one or more multiplexing techniques selected from the group consisting of angle, wavelength, confocal, fractal, phase code, and peristrophic multiplexing.

12. A method of storing holograms in a target medium, the method comprising:

recording multiple holograms in each holographic medium in a set of N holographic mediums, wherein the multiple holograms include partially spatially overlapping data page holograms and N is greater than 1;

sequentially illuminating the each of N holographic mediums with a reference beam to reconstruct the multiple holograms in the each of the N holographic mediums and record the reconstructed multiple holograms to the holographic master medium, wherein;

the multiple holograms in the each of the N holographic mediums are reconstructed and recorded in parallel to the holographic master medium;

the reconstructed multiple holograms from one of the N holographic mediums and the reconstructed multiple holograms from another of the N holographic mediums overlap in the master holographic medium by use of one or more multiplexing techniques selected from the group consisting of angle, wavelength, confocal, fractal, phase code, and peristrophic multiplexing;

illuminating the holographic master medium to reconstruct the multiple holograms from the one of the N holographic mediums and record the reconstructed multiple holograms from the one of the N holographic mediums in the target medium; and

subsequently illuminating the holographic master medium to reconstruct the multiple holograms from the other of the N holographic mediums and record the reconstructed multiple holograms from the other of the N holographic mediums in the target medium.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein total dynamic range used by the multiple holograms in the one of the N holographic mediums and the other of the N holographic mediums is greater than total dynamic range used by recording the reconstructed multiple holograms from the one of the N holographic mediums and the other of the N holographic mediums to the holographic master medium.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the target medium is a holographic read only medium.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the target medium includes multiple copies of holographic read only mediums.

16. A method of preserving dynamic range in a holographic master medium, the method comprising:

sequentially recording first multiple holograms to a first holographic medium, wherein;

adjacent holograms of the first multiple holograms partially spatially overlap each other; and

the first multiple holograms consume a dynamic range first quantity in the first holographic medium;

sequentially recording second multiple holograms to a second holographic medium, wherein;

adjacent holograms of the second multiple holograms partially spatially overlap each other; and

the second multiple holograms consume a dynamic range second quantity in the second holographic medium;

reconstructing the first multiple holograms from the first holographic medium in parallel and recording the reconstructed first multiple holograms in the holographic master medium, wherein said recording the reconstructed first multiple holograms in the holographic master medium consumes less dynamic range in the holographic master medium than the first dynamic range quantity;

reconstructing the second multiple holograms from the second holographic medium in parallel and recording the reconstructed second multiple holograms in the holographic master medium, wherein;

said recording the reconstructed second multiple holograms in the holographic master medium consumes less dynamic range in the holographic master medium than the second dynamic range quantity; and

said recording the reconstructed second multiple holograms in the holographic master medium includes multiplexing the second multiple holograms with the first multiple holograms by use of one or more multiplexing techniques selected from the group consisting of angle, wavelength, confocal, fractal, phase code, and peristrophic multiplexing.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising reconstructing holograms stored in the holographic master medium and recording the reconstructed holograms in a target medium.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

said reconstructing the first multiple holograms from the first holographic medium in parallel and recording the reconstructed first multiple holograms in a holographic master medium includes illuminating both the first holographic medium and the holographic master medium with a first reference beam;

the reconstructed first multiple holograms interfere with the first reference beam to record the reconstructed first multiple holograms in the holographic master medium;

said reconstructing the second multiple holograms from the second holographic medium in parallel and recording the reconstructed second multiple holograms in the holographic master medium includes illuminating both the second holographic medium and the holographic master medium with a second reference beam;

the reconstructed second multiple holograms interfere with the second reference beam to record the reconstructed second multiple holograms in the holographic master medium; and

the reconstructed holograms recorded in the target medium include information from the first multiple holograms and the second multiple holograms.