Method and apparatus for isolating data storage regions in a thick holographic storage media

Claim 2

A thick holographic storage medium for use in an optical recording system, comprising: a plurality of slabs of holographic storage media, each of said slabs having two parallel sides, an incident face perpendicular to said sides for receiving reference and data laser beams for a Read/Write operation within said storage media and a diametrically opposed face substantially parallel to said incident face for allowing said reference and data beams to exit said storage media, said storage media operable to store data interference gratings that are formed by the interference between the received data and reference beams during a Write operation, and store data read out by passing said reference beam through said storage media at substantially the same angle at which data was recorded, each of said slabs having a plurality of discrete storage regions associated therewith, which said storage regions are addressable by directing said data and reference laser beams onto the associated portion of said incident face; and a support structure for disposing said slabs in an adjacent relationship with the parallel faces of adjacent ones of said slabs disposed a predetermined distance apart; said slabs having both of said parallel sides and said incident faces oriented such that they are perpendicular to the plane of the data and reference laser beams.

Claim 3

The storage medium of claim 1, wherein said holographic storage media comprises photorefractive crystal and each slab further comprises means for selectively accessing each of said storage regions within each of said slabs.

Claim 4

The storage medium of claim 2, wherein said means for selectively accessing comprises electrodes disposed on the surfaces of the portion of said two parallel faces associated with each of said regions such that a voltage can be disposed thereacross.

Claim 5

An optical data storage system, comprising: a coherent light source; a device for splitting the light beam output by said light source into a data beam and a reference beam; a Write device for encoding data onto the data beam; a steering device for directing said reference beam to intersect the data beam to cause an interference grating at said intersection; a holographic storage medium having a recording surface disposed at the plane of said reference and data beams; said steering device operable to steer said intersection to a select location on the surface of said storage medium, said data and reference beams disposed in a common plane relative to the surface of said holographic storage medium; and said holographic storage medium comprising: a plurality of slabs of holographic storage media, each of said slabs having two parallel sides, an incident face perpendicular to said sides for receiving reference and data laser beams for a Read/Write operation within said storage media and a diametrically opposed face substantially parallel to said incident face for allowing said reference and data beams to exit said storage media, said storage media operable to store data interference gratings that are formed by the interference between the received data and reference beams during a Write operation, and store data read out by passing said reference beam through said storage media at substantially the same angle at which data was recorded, each of said slabs having a plurality of discrete storage regions associated therewith, which said storage regions are addressable by directing said data and reference laser beams onto the associated portion of said incident face, a support structure for disposing said slabs in an adjacent relationship with the parallel faces of adjacent ones of said slabs disposed a predetermined distance apart, and said slabs having both of said parallel sides and said incident faces oriented such that they are perpendicular to the plane of the data and reference laser beams; means for selectively accessing one of said storage regions in the select ones of said slabs with said steering device for either writing data thereto or reading data therefrom; and a detector for reading a reconstructed data beam on a Read operation wherein only said reference beam is generated.

Claim 6

An optical data storage system, comprising: a coherent light source; a device for splitting the light beam output by said light source into a data beam and a reference beam; a Write device for encoding data onto the data beam; a steering device for directing said reference beam to intersect the data beam to cause an interference grating at said intersection; a holographic storage medium having a recording surface disposed at the plane of said reference and data beams; said steering device operable to steer said intersection to a select location on the surface of said storage medium, said data and reference beams disposed in a common plane relative to the surface of said holographic storage medium; and said holographic storage medium comprising: a plurality of slabs of holographic storage media, each of said slabs having two parallel sides, an incident face perpendicular to said sides for receiving reference and data laser beams for a Read/Write operation within said storage media and a diametrically opposed face substantially parallel to said incident face for allowing said reference and data beams to exit said storage media, said storage media operable to store data interference gratings that are formed by the interference between the received data and reference beams during a Write operation, and store data read out by passing said reference beam through said storage media at substantially the same angle at which data was recorded, each of said slabs having a plurality of discrete storage regions associated therewith, which said storage regions are addressable by directing said data and reference laser beams onto the associated portion of said incident face, a support structure for disposing said slabs in an adjacent relationship with the parallel faces of adjacent ones of said slabs disposed a predetermined distance apart, and said slabs having both of said parallel sides and said incident faces oriented such that they are perpendicular to the plane of the data and reference laser beams; means for selectively accessing one of said storage regions in the select ones of said slabs with said steering device for either writing data thereto or reading data therefrom; and a detector for reading a reconstructed data beam on a Read operation wherein only said reference beam is generated.

Claim 7

The optical storage system of claim 4, wherein said holographic storage media comprises photorefractive crystal and each slab further comprises means for selectively accessing each of said storage regions within each of said slabs.

Claim 8

The optical storage system of claim 4, wherein said means for selectively accessing comprises electrodes disposed on the surfaces of the portion of said two parallel faces associated with each of said regions such that a voltage can be disposed thereacross.

Claim 11

The method of claim 7, wherein the holographic storage media comprises photorefractive crystal and further comprising the step of accessing a select one of the storage regions by activating the photorefractive crystal proximate to the select one of the regions.

Claim 12

The method of claim 8, wherein the step of selectively accessing comprises disposing electrodes on the surfaces of the portion of the two parallel faces associated with each of the regions and disposing a voltage across the electrodes associated with the select ones of the regions.