Abstract

A unique feature of holographic memory is its potential for fast random access if nonmechanical means for page addressing are implemented. It is possible to obtain 10 microsecond latency (equivalent to disk head seek time) by using acoustooptic deflectors to steer the address beam in an angularly multiplexed holographic memory system. When 1-100 GByte storage capacities are considered, however, the nonmechanical addressing constraint poses challenging design problems. In this paper, we describe fast access holographic memory architectures and discuss the critical design issues. We also describe recent Rockwell efforts to develop a fast access holographic memory system.

© 1996 Optical Society of America