US 9,129,612 B2 · Six-dimensional optical multilayer storage using two-photon absorption writing, erasing and optical coherence tomography reading

Abstract

This invention relates a method of six-dimensional optical multilayer storage using two-photon absorption writing, erasing and optical coherence tomography reading and the apparatus designed based on this method. The invented system stores data in three spatial dimensions plus three physical dimensions of wavelength, intensity and polarization. It has large storage capacity of over 32 Tbytes per DVD sized disk and ultrafast reading speed of over 25 Gbits/s with high signal-to-noise ratio of over 76 dB. The larger capacity of over 1 Pbyte per disk is potential. Furthermore, the invented system has relatively simple optical structure, easy light manipulation for addressing the storage cell and high compatibility with the CDs and DVDs. It is an actually practicable optical large capacity storage technology.

Claims19

Dependent claims

An optical six-dimensional data storage method, the method comprises:

using N, where N is an integer greater than 1, linearly polarized light beams with different wavelengths, encoded intensities and encoded polarizations to form a group of multiple standing waves overlapped in the medium;
forming multiple plane volume gratings in a small volume in the medium as a storage cell for data through two-photon absorption;
later illuminating the storage cell using multiple linearly polarized or unpolarized light beams to produce a group of reflected beams with matched wavelengths, corresponding intensities and particular polarizations with respect to said group of multiple standing waves;
utilizing at least one of optical coherence tomography or confocal microscopy or both of optical coherence tomography and confocal microscopy to receive the group of the reflected beams from the storage cell;
at last decoding the group of the reflected beams from the storage cell back to the data originally stored.

2 more elements

An optical storage apparatus, the apparatus comprises:

a one layer or multilayer photorefractive, polarization-sensitive medium having data stored by excitation by two-photon absorption in storage cells located in concentrically circular or spiral tracks;
laser arrays and superluminescent diode arrays generating multiple linearly polarized beams or multiple linearly polarized and unpolarized beams with different wavelengths, said multiple linearly polarized beams or multiple linearly polarized and unpolarized beams are arranged to be collinear, concentric and focused with available smallest diameters of focal depths to write data to, read data from and erase data in said storage cells;
an electronic processor to encode each composite state of wavelengths, intensities and polarization directions of said multiple linearly polarized beams during each short period to correspond to each data stored in each of said storage cells according to a color-brightness and polarization direction encoding regulation;
photosensor arrays for measuring intensities and polarization directions of beams reflected from desired storage cell during each short period;
and an electronic processor for decoding the composite state of the wavelengths, intensities and polarization directions of the beams reflected from desired storage cell to reproduce stored data according to a color-brightness and polarization direction decoding regulation;
a means for making the available smallest diameters of focal depths of said multiple linearly polarized beams or multiple linearly polarized and unpolarized beams fall in a required data layer in the medium;
a means for tracking to center the multiple linearly polarized beams or multiple linearly polarized and unpolarized light beam spots on a circular or spiral track;
a means for receiving the reflected beams from said desired storage cell in a data layer.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Six-dimensional optical multilayer storage using two-photon absorption writing, erasing and optical coherence tomography reading

Life of this patent

Six-dimensional optical multilayer storage using two-photon absorption writing, erasing and optical coherence tomography reading

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19