Title of Paper: Compact Holographic Data Storage System

Principal Author: Dr. Tien-Hsin Chao

Abstract: Abstract: JPL, under current sponsorship from NASA Earth Science Technology Office, is developing a high-density, nonvolatile and rad-hard advanced Compact Holographic Data Storage (CHDS) system to enable large-capacity, high-speed, low power consumption, and read/write of data for potential commercial and NASA space applications. This CHDS consists of laser diodes, photorefractive crystal, spatial light modulator, photodetector array, and I/O electronic interface. In operation, pages of information would be recorded and retrieved with random access and high-speed. The nonvolatile, rad-hard characteristics of the holographic memory will provide a revolutionary memory technology to enhance mission capabilities for all NASA’s Earth Science Mission.

JPL is investigating an innovative angular multiplexing scheme for the holographic data storage to maximize the storage capacity, data transfer rate, and minimize the system volume. Moreover, due to the use of this electro-optic beam steering technology, data can be recorded and retrieved without moving parts. This is particularly suitable for space applications. A first prototype of a Liquid Crystal Beam Steering Spatial Light Modulator has been developed with an industrial collaborator. This device has been integrated to a book-sized CHDS breadboard as the first step to record/retrieve high-speed, high angular-resolution, random access beam steering for storing tens of thousand of page of holographic data in a cubic photorefractive crystal.

In this paper, to date accomplishments in developing this CHDS at JPL will be presented. The recent applications of the CHDS to optical pattern recognition systems as a high density, high transfer rate memory bank will also be discussed.