Opto-electronic input and output memory device

Claim 1

AN OPTO-ELECTRONIC INPUT MEMORY DEVICE COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF MEMORY PLANES EACH CONSISTING OF STACKED LAYERS OF A FIRST CONDUCTOR, A PHOTOCONDUCTOR, A FERROELECTRIC SUBSTANCE HAVING BOTH OF THE PROPERTIES OF ROTATORY POLARIZATION AND THE HYSTERESIS CHARACTERISTIC WITH RESPECT TO VOLTAGE AND A SECOND CONDUCTOR, MEANS FOR FORMING OPTICAL IMAGES IN SAID MEMORY PLANES, MEANS FOR APPLYING VOLTAGE TO SAID MEMORY PLANES, MEANS FOR EMITTING LIGHT FOR READING OUT MEMORIES STORED IN SAID MEMORY PLANES, SAID LIGHT EMITTING MEANS BEING OPERATIVE TO CAUSE A VARIATION IN THE STABLE HYSTERESIS STATES OF SAID FERROELECTRIC SUBSTANCE BY VARYING THE CONDUCTIVITY OF SAID PHOTOCONDUCTOR FOR THEREBY DEVELOPING STORED PATTERN PORTIONS AND NON-STORED PORTIONS IN SAID MEMORY PLANES, AND MEANS FOR DETECTING THE LIGHT PASSED THROUGH OR REFLECTED FROM SAID MEMORY PLANES FOR THEREBY EFFECTING READ-OUT OF MEMORIES.