Optical mass storage system and memory cell incorporated therein

Abstract

This application relates to a new read-write optical storage technology which is based on the cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) polymer property of selective reflection at a characteristic wavelength. Each layer in a multi-layer CLC storage arrangement has a different characteristic wavelength, making it possible to randomly select any layer for reading, writing or erasing. Each layer incorporates a plurality of memory cells, in a write/erase mode, disposed on a dye polymer material or having such dye polymer material integrated into the CLC material such that, in the presence of light and electric or magnetic fields, the molecules of the CLC material are heated and align themselves with the electric or magnetic field. To the extent that the CLC molecules align themselves with a magnetic field normal to the plane of a storage element, electromagnetic energy in the form of light or infrared radiation at a specific wavelength, in a read mode, will be reflected. Any other orientation whether due to the presence of a magnetic or electric field or heating alone will be transparent to any other wavelength and a circular polarization opposite to the polarization of an incident reading beam. Finally, a disk storage system and a multi-layered storage system for reading, displaying and printing stored information are shown to indicate applications of the cholesteric liquid crystal storage technology.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.