Holographic data storage 1

Holographic data storage

Holographic data storage is a potential replacement technology in the area of high-capacity data storage currently
dominated by magnetic and conventional optical data storage. Magnetic and optical data storage devices rely on
individual bits being stored as distinct magnetic or optical changes on the surface of the recording medium.
Holographic data storage overcomes this limitation by recording information throughout the volume of the medium
and is capable of recording multiple images in the same area utilizing light at different angles.
Additionally, whereas magnetic and optical data storage records information a bit at a time in a linear fashion,
holographic storage is capable of recording and reading millions of bits in parallel, enabling data transfer rates
greater than those attained by optical storage.[1]

Recording data
Holographic data storage captures information using an non optical interference pattern within a thick,
photosensitive optical material. Light from a single laser beam is divided into two separate optical patterns of dark
and light pixels. By adjusting the reference beam angle, wavelength, or media position, a multitude of holograms
(theoretically, several thousand) can be stored on a single volume.

Reading data
The stored data is read through the reproduction of the same reference beam used to create the hologram. The
reference beam’s light is focused on the photosensitive material, illuminating the appropriate interference pattern, the
light diffracts on the interference pattern, and projects the pattern onto a detector. The detector is capable of reading
the data in parallel, over one million bits at once, resulting in the fast data transfer rate. Files on the holographic
drive can be accessed in less than 200 milliseconds.[2]

Longevity
Holographic data storage can provide companies a method to preserve and archive information. The write-once, read
many (WORM) approach to data storage would ensure content security, preventing the information from being
overwritten or modified. Manufacturers believe this technology can provide safe storage for content without
degradation for more than 50 years, far exceeding current data storage options. Counterpoints to this claim are that
the evolution of data reader technology changes every ten years; therefore, being able to store data for 50–100 years
would not matter if you could not read or access it.[2] However, a storage method that works very well could be
around longer before needing a replacement; plus, with the replacement, the possibility of backwards-compatibility
exists, similar to how DVD technology is backwards-compatible with CD technology.

Terms used
Sensitivity refers to the extent of refractive index modulation produced per unit of exposure. Diffraction efficiency is
proportional to the square of the index modulation times the effective thickness.
The dynamic range determines how many holograms may be multiplexed in a single volume data.
Spatial light modulators (SLM) are pixelated input devices (liquid crystal panels), used to imprint the data to be
stored on the object beam.
Holographic data storage 2

Technical aspects
Like other media, holographic media is divided into write once (where the storage medium undergoes some
irreversible change), and rewritable media (where the change is reversible). Rewritable holographic storage can be
achieved via the photorefractive effect in crystals:
• Mutually coherent light from two sources creates an interference pattern in the media. These two sources are
called the reference beam and the signal beam.
• Where there is constructive interference the light is bright and electrons can be promoted from the valence band to
the conduction band of the material (since the light has given the electrons energy to jump the energy gap). The
positively charged vacancies they leave are called holes and they must be immobile in rewritable holographic
materials. Where there is destructive interference, there is less light and few electrons are promoted.
• Electrons in the conduction band are free to move in the material. They will experience two opposing forces that
determine how they move. The first force is the coulomb force between the electrons and the positive holes that
they have been promoted from. This force encourages the electrons to stay put or move back to where they came
from. The second is the pseudo-force of diffusion that encourages them to move to areas where electrons are less
dense. If the coulomb forces are not too strong, the electrons will move into the dark areas.
• Beginning immediately after being promoted, there is a chance that a given electron will recombine with a hole
and move back into the valence band. The faster the rate of recombination, the fewer the number of electrons that
will have the chance to move into the dark areas. This rate will affect the strength of the hologram.
• After some electrons have moved into the dark areas and recombined with holes there, there is a permanent space
charge field between the electrons that moved to the dark spots and the holes in the bright spots. This leads to a
change in the index of refraction due to the electro-optic effect.
When the information is to be retrieved or read out from the
hologram, only the reference beam is necessary. The beam is sent
into the material in exactly the same way as when the hologram
was written. As a result of the index changes in the material that
were created during writing, the beam splits into two parts. One of
these parts recreates the signal beam where the information is
stored. Something like a CCD camera can be used to convert this
information into a more usable form.

Holograms can theoretically store one bit per cubic block the size
of the wavelength of light in writing. For example, light from a
helium-neon laser is red, 632.8 nm wavelength light. Using light
of this wavelength, perfect holographic storage could store 4 gigabits per cubic millimetre. In practice, the data
density would be much lower, for at least four reasons:
• The need to add error-correction
• The need to accommodate imperfections or limitations in the optical system
• Economic payoff (higher densities may cost disproportionately more to achieve)
• Design technique limitations—a problem currently faced in magnetic Hard Drives wherein magnetic domain
configuration prevents manufacture of disks that fully utilize the theoretical limits of the technology.
Unlike current storage technologies that record and read one data bit at a time, holographic memory writes and reads
data in parallel in a single flash of light.[3]
Holographic data storage 3

Two-color recording
For two-color holographic recording, the
reference and signal beam fixed to a
particular wavelength (green, red or IR) and
the sensitizing/gating beam is a separate,
shorter wavelength (blue or UV). The
sensitizing/gating beam is used to sensitize
the material before and during the recording
process, while the information is recorded in
the crystal via the reference and signal
beams. It is shone intermittently on the
crystal during the recording process for
measuring the diffracted beam intensity. Set up for holographic recording
Readout is achieved by illumination with the
reference beam alone. Hence the readout beam with a longer wavelength would not be able to excite the recombined
electrons from the deep trap centers during readout, as they need the sensitizing light with shorter wavelength to
erase them.

Usually, for two-color holographic recording, two different dopants are required to promote trap centers, which
belong to transition metal and rare earth elements and are sensitive to certain wavelengths. By using two dopants,
more trap centers would be created in the Lithium niobate crystal. Namely a shallow and a deep trap would be
created. The concept now is to use the sensitizing light to excite electrons from the deep trap farther from the valence
band to the conduction band and then to recombine at the shallow traps nearer to the conduction band. The reference
and signal beam would then be used to excite the electrons from the shallow traps back to the deep traps. The
information would hence be stored in the deep traps. Reading would be done with the reference beam since the
electrons can no longer be excited out of the deep traps by the long wavelength beam.
==Effect of annealingdoubly doped LiNbO3 crystal there exists an optimum oxidation/reduction state for desired
performance. This optimum depends on the doping levels of shallow and deep traps as well as the annealing
conditions for the crystal samples. This optimum state generally occurs when 95 – 98% of the deep traps are filled.
In a strongly oxidized sample holograms cannot be easily recorded and the diffraction efficiency is very low. This is
because the shallow trap is completely empty and the deep trap is also almost devoid of electrons. In a highly
reduced sample on the other hand, the deep traps are completely filled and the shallow traps are also partially filled.
This results in very good sensitivity (fast recording) and high diffraction efficiency due to the availability of
electrons in the shallow traps. However during readout, all the deep traps get filled quickly and the resulting
holograms reside in the shallow traps where they are totally erased by further readout. Hence after extensive readout
the diffraction efficiency drops to zero and the hologram stored cannot be fixed.

Development and marketing

At the National Association of Broadcasters 2005 (NAB) convention in Las Vegas, InPhase conducted public
demonstrations of the world’s first prototype of a commercial storage device at the Maxell Corporation of America
booth.
The three main companies involved in developing holographic memory, as of 2002, were InPhase and Polaroid
spinoff Aprilis in the United States, and Optware in Japan.[4] Although holographic memory has been discussed
since the 1960s,[5] and has been touted for near-term commercial application at least since 2001,[6] it has yet to
convince critics that it can find a viable market.[7] As of 2002, planned holographic products did not aim to compete
head to head with hard drives, but instead to find a market niche based on virtues such as speed of access.[4]
Holographic data storage 4

InPhase Technologies, after several announcements and subsequent delays in 2006 and 2007, announced that it
would soon be introducing a flagship product. InPhase went out of business in February 2010 and had its assets
seized by the state of Colorado for back taxes. The company had reportedly gone through $100 million but the lead
investor was unable to raise more capital.[8] [9]
In April 2009, GE Global Research demonstrated their own holographic storage material that could allow for discs
that utilize similar read mechanisms as those found on Blu-ray Disc players.[10]

In the video game market

Some have speculated that Nintendo will be the first video game console maker to implement holographic data
storage due to the recent[11] uncovering of a Joint Research Agreement between InPhase and Nintendo.[12]
Nintendo is also mentioned in the patent as a joint applicant: "... disclosure is herein made that the claimed invention
was made pursuant to a Joint Research Agreement as defined in 35 U.S.C. 103 (c)(3), that was in effect on or before
the date the claimed invention was made, and as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of the Joint
Research Agreement, by or on the behalf of Nintendo Co., and InPhase Technologies, Inc." [13]

References
[1] "Holographic data storage." (http:/ / www. research. ibm. com/ journal/ rd/ 443/ ashley. html). IBM journal of research and development. .
Retrieved 2008-04-28.
[2] Robinson, T. (2005, June). The race for space. netWorker. 9,2. Retrieved April 28, 2008 from ACM Digital Library.
[3] "Maxell Introduces the Future of Optical Storage Media With Holographic Recording Technology", (2005) retrieved January 27, 2007 (http:/
/ www. maxell-usa. com/ index. aspx?id=-5;0;158;0& a=read& pid=49)
[4] "Update: Aprilis Unveils Holographic Disk Media" (http:/ / www. extremetech. com/ article2/ 0,3973,600628,00. asp). 2002-10-08. .
[5] "Holographic-memory discs may put DVDs to shame" (http:/ / www. newscientist. com/ article. ns?id=dn8370& feedId=online-news_rss20).
New Scientist. 2005-11-24. .
[6] "Aprilis to Showcase Holographic Data Technology" (http:/ / www. enterprisestorageforum. com/ technology/ news/ article. php/ 885351).
2001-09-18. .
[7] Sander Olson (2002-12-09). "Holographic storage isn't dead yet" (http:/ / www. geek. com/ news/ geeknews/ 2002Dec/ bch20021209017652.
htm). .
[8] Engadget, “InPhase delays Tapestry holographic storage solution to late 2009” (http:/ / www. engadget. com/ 2008/ 11/ 03/
inphase-delays-tapestry-holographic-storage-solution-to-late-200/ )
[9] Television Broadcast, “Holographic Storage Firm InPhase Technologies Shuts Down” (http:/ / www. televisionbroadcast. com/ article/ 94340)
[10] GE Unveils 500-GB, Holographic Disc Storage Technology (http:/ / www. crn. com/ storage/
217200230;jsessionid=PCLSSR1JXVD1OQSNDLOSKHSCJUNN2JVN)
[11] "as of when?".
[12] "Could Holography Cure Nintendo's Storage Space Blues? News" (http:/ / www. totalvideogames. com/ Nintendo-Wii/ news/
Could-Holography-Cure-Nintendo039s-Storage-Space-Blues-13031. html). .
[13] Inphase Technologies, Inc. (Longmont, CO, US) and Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Kyoto, JP) (2008-02-26). "Miniature Flexure Based Scanners For
Angle Multiplexing Patent" (http:/ / www. freepatentsonline. com/ 7336409. html). .

External links
• Howstuffworks (http://computer.howstuffworks.com/holographic-memory.htm)
• Daewoo Electronics Develops the World’s First High Accuracy Servo Motion Control System for Holographic
Digital Data Storage (virtual prototype created with LabView) (http://sine.ni.com/csol/cds/item/vw/p/id/
685/nid/124300)
• Inphase (http://www.inphase-technologies.com/technology/default.asp?subn=2_1) –
• Comparison of Two Approaches: Page-based and Bit-based HDS (http://www.media-tech.net/fileadmin/
templates/resources/sc06/mtc06_keynote_day2_hesselink_yuzuru.pdf)
• Maxell Holographic Media Press Release (http://www.maxell-usa.com/index.aspx?id=-5;0;246;0&a=read&
pid=100)
Holographic data storage 5

• GE Global Research is developing terabyte discs and players that will work with old storage media (http://www.
technologyreview.com/computing/21507)
• Holography speaks volumes (http://www.marc.org/Publishing/ChemTech/Volume/2009/09/
holographic_data_storage.asp) - an Instant Insight (http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/ChemTech/
Instant_insights.asp) where Søren Hvilsted and colleagues explain how holograms could be the key to storing
increasing amounts of information. From the Royal Society of Chemistry
Article Sources and Contributors 6

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