Reading method and apparatus for a three-dimensional information carrier

A scanning apparatus for reading information in a three-dimensional information carrier formed with a plurality of spaced-apart data regions, each surrounded by surrounding regions, wherein the data regions are made of a material capable of generating an output excited radiation, when interacting with a predetermined incident exciting radiation, and the surrounding regions are substantially optically transparent, the apparatus comprising:

• a) an illumination unit producing a scanning beam of the incident radiation;
• b) a light directing unit for projecting said scanning beam on a scan region located in an addressed plane inside the carrier and collecting the produced output radiation, the light directing unit being capable of picking up a predetermined portion of the collected output radiation so as to provide spatial separation of the output radiation components produced by the data regions located in the addressed plane and the output radiation components produced by the data regions located at any other location inside the carrier;
• c) a detector unit having a receiving surface, and being capable of detecting the output radiation and generating data representative thereof;
• wherein said detector unit comprises a sensing means and a filtering means;
• wherein said filtering means comprises an optical filter;
• and
• wherein said optical filter is a spatial filter.

A scanning apparatus for reading information in a three-dimensional information carrier formed with a plurality of spaced-apart data regions, each surrounded by surrounding regions, wherein the data regions are made of a material capable of generating an output excited radiation, when interacting with a predetermined incident exciting radiation, and the surrounding regions are substantially optically transparent, the apparatus comprising:

• a) an illumination unit producing a scanning beam of the incident radiation;
• b) a light directing unit for projecting said scanning beam on a scan region located in an addressed plane inside the carrier and collecting the produced output radiation, the light directing unit being capable of picking up a predetermined portion of the collected output radiation so as to provide spatial separation of the output radiation components produced by the data regions located in the addressed plane and the output radiation components produced by the data regions located at any other location inside the carrier;
• c) a detector unit having a receiving surface, and being capable of detecting the output radiation and generating data representative thereof;
• wherein said detector unit comprises a sensing means and a filtering means;
• and
• wherein said filtering means comprises a band-pass filter.