Optical storage device having a plurality of juxtaposed memory cells
AssigneePeter Toth
InventorsPeter Toth, Karoly Jozsef
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Abstract
The invention relates to a read-write optical memory comprising a plurality of juxtaposed memory cells (11), each receiving a respective light beam (3). Each memory cell contains a storage medium (10), which includes a storage element (23) having stable optical states. The storage element (23) is divided into a number of memory points, and the optical state in a given memory point can be both changed and read by means of a light beam (3) directed towards the memory point. The memory can be implemented entirely without any movable mechanical parts and has a very short read-write time and an exceptionally high storage capacity. Parallel writing and reading of multibit words is possible.
Claims18
An optical memory, comprising:
- a plurality of juxtaposed memory cells, each of which is adapted to receive a respective light beam and each of which includes a storage medium including:
- (a) a storage element switchable between at least two stable states having mutually different optical properties by applying corresponding electric fields between a light entry side and an opposite light exit side of the storage element;
- (b) an electrode matrix arranged on one of the light entry side and the light exit side of the storage element and exhibiting a plurality of mutually electrically insulated electrode points distributed over the storage element, corresponding to an equal plurality of memory points in the storage medium;
- (c) a common electrode arranged on and extended over an opposite side of the storage element from the electrode matrix;
- and
- (d) a photoconductive layer acting as a light-controlled switch and having light-dependent electric resistance, said layer being arranged over and in electrical contact with the electrode matrix on the side thereof facing away from the storage element, whereby an electric field 15 selectively applied over a given memory point in the storage element by selectively illuminating the corresponding point on the photoconductive layer while applying an electric control voltage between the photoconductive layer and the common electrode, and
- electrically controlled means for simultaneously displacing the point of incidence of each of the light beams of the memory cells on the corresponding memory cell with a mutually equally large displacement.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.