METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ISOLATING DATA STORAGE REGIONS IN A THICK HOLOGRAPHIC STORAGE MEDIUM

摘要

A holographic storage media for storing digital data in the form of an interference grating is provided which includes a plurality of slabs of photorefractive material (72) arranged in a stack, with one edge thereof comprising an incident face (74). A data beam (39) having data superimposed thereon and a reference beam (38) are input to the face (74) to record a holographic image of the data in one of the slabs (72). Each of the slabs has a plurality of adjacent storage regions formed therein. The data and reference beams are disposed in a plane perpendicular to both the face (74) and the side (75) of the slabs (72), such that the reference beam (38) is confined within the slab (72) for all angles of the reference beam (38).