Three‐dimensional optical data storage and retrieval system based on phase‐code and space multiplexing

A compact, rugged, and low-cost three-dimensional optical storage system based on space and phase-code multiplexed volume holograms is presented in this paper. Holograms are recorded at a 2-D grid of locations in a holographic medium, such as photorefractive crystal or photopolymers. At each location, multiple holograms are stored via phase-code multiplexing. By combining the space and phase-code multiplexing techniques, such a 3-D optical storage system has the potential to achieve very large storage capacity and high data access rate. In this paper, the optical architecture is described and the system integration is discussed. Preliminary proof-of-concept experimental results are provided.