Holographic_Data_Storage_on_Media

4.6 Holographic Data Storage on Media

Holographic data storage isn't a market yet, but several companies devoted to the technology's commercialization continue the race to develop storage media and drive technology, in the belief that holography's day is coming soon.

The most visible are Aprilis Inc., Polaroid spin-off established in Maynard, Massachusets and InPhase Technologies Inc., company Lucent Bell Labs in Longmont, Colorado. Both are developing the high-density, high-transfer-rate technology that researchers believe has the potential to revolutionize data storage and enable rapid distribution of digital content.

Elsewhere, organizations like IBM Corp.'s Almaden Research Lab continue holographic data storage (HDS) research for internal purposes, and several Japanese consumer electronics companies are developing holographic drive products based on media they have purchased from either of the two U.S. start-ups (Quan, 2003).

In October 2002 Aprilis (Maynard, Maine) introduced the first functioning holographic storage media. The holographic disc boasted a data density greater than 100 Gbit/square inch.

Aprilis manufactures a limited volume of holographic media in two series. The first one – the HMD (holographic media discs) series comes in a 120-mm-disk format; the other one – the HMC (holographic media cards) series media is available in a 50 × 50 mm card format. Both of them are readily available in two standard recording thicknesses: 200 and 300 microns.

In February 2004, InPhase Technologies (Longmont, Colorado) delivered the first holographic storage medium of blue laser Tapestry HDS5000 based on the principle of polymers of Bell Labs. Compatible with next-generation blue lasers used in DVDs, the Tapestry media will eventually be used in holographic recorders and players that will have terabytes of capacity on a single disc. InPhase Technologies introduced the disc with holographic data storage (Overton, 2005). The company asserts that its manufacture process known as Zero Wave makes it possible to use inexpensive substrates similar to those used in DVD manufactured to create flat, holographic media.

Optware (Kanagawa, Japan), the developer of holographic media storage systems, is one of the six Japanese companies that have recently formed the Holographic Versatile Disc (HVD) ­Alliance to accelerate the HVD market development.

In January 2005, Ecma International (Geneva, Switzerland), an industry association founded in 1961 and dedicated to the standardization of information and communication technology and consumer electronics, announced a move toward a standard for holographic information storage (HIS).

The holographic media storage clearly has a promising future (Overton, 2005). We can predict that the holographic media will be the choice for archival applications of single-shot recording because it is more conventional and it is not exposed to wear and destruction.