The Future in Data Storage

Presented By:

Mark Farwell

Introduction

• Holographic Optical Storage (HODS) or Holographic Data Storage System (HDDS)– Most viable new data storage technology– Uses images rather then bits to store data– Images imposed in material

• Disk the same size as a DVD will hold some 50 full feature movies

Why Do We Need This?

• “For Internet applications alone, industry estimates are that storage needs are doubling every 100 days”– Nelson Diaz, Lucent Technology

• “Optoelectronics Industry and Technology Development Association projects that the year 2010, a storage system serving an average LAN will need … 100 TB and a WAN server will require 10TB to 1 petabyte …of storage” (Red Herring)

Is That All?

• Current magnetic and optical storage devices nearing limits– Magnetic densities near limit

– Light wavelength nearing spot size• Diffraction becoming an issue

• Needed step for smaller storage devices– Might be able to compact down to a a mere in2

Practical Solution or Cool Toy?

• May be the answer to new storage demands of today

• Super high storage densities

• Super fast access possible– Estimate of at least 10’s of MB/sec and as high

as 100’s of MB/sec

• Small size

Background: 2-D Holography

• Developed on older holographic techniques– Same idea as authentication for credit cards

• Object is imposed into a film– Beam is split– One beam shines on object

(object beam)

– Reflection interacts withreference beam to “burn”image into film

What Does That Mean?

• Think of the beams as electromagnetic waves (photons)

• When Object beam and Reference beam overlap, the become constructive or destructive– Like ripples in a pond– Constructive wave have higher energy– Destructive waves have lower energy

Teen Gren

Background: Holographic Optical Data Storage (HODS)

• Only recently been seriously looked at thanks to new advances in photography– High density, High speed CCD’s

– High density, High speed spatial light modulators (SLM)

• High quality LCD

– Both operate at 1024x1024 res. and up to 2000Hz

• Most of research simply uses off the shelf equipment

More Background

• Figure shows a basic HODS

• SLM projects a page of information into medium

• CCD picks up specified page of information

Recording

• Data stream is sent to the SLM as 0’s and 1’s– Forms a “checkerboard” pattern

• 1’s transmit light, 0’s block light

• Beam is split– Light passing through SLM is the signal (object) beam

– Reflected beam is the reference beam

• Beams interfere in the medium to produce hologram much like before

Recording by Figure

Reading

• Beam no longer split

• Reference beam is diffracted off the recorded grating (hologram)– Reconstructs matrix

• Projected using optic onto CCD– Converts into data stream

Recording by Figure

What Does This Allow

• In the case of 2-D, much higher storage density then conventional disks– 50 movies per DVD size disk (5.25 in.)

• In the case of 3-D, HUGE capacities using the entire volume rather then the surface

• Parallel data storage!!!– 10’s to 100’s of MB/Sec– Can read and write at the same time

Current Constraints: Material

• Material is by far the biggest problem, if not the only one!!!

• Must meet many criteria

• Excellent Optical Quality– Good homogeneity and optical quality surface

• High Recording Fidelity– Must read data beam amplitude well

Current Constraints: Material

• High Dynamic Range– Great ability to respond to optical exposure with the

refractive index modulation (more holograms)

• Low Scattered light– Readout beam scattering

• High Sensitivity– Fast hologram recording/reading

• Non Volatile Storage– Material should retain data for a time consistent with the data

storage application– Dark decay and loss per-read

Constraints: Size and Format

• Right now the apparatus for reading and writing is rather large– Easily compacted once development completed

• Format may be an issue– Scientists working on both 3-D and disc 2-D– Debate over whether to make the system

WORM (Write-Once Read-Many), Re-writable or both

What Can Be Done

• Polymers– Work great for WORM applications– Starting to discover polymers for read-write

• Crystalline structures– Better solutions for read-write capabilities

• Two-Color Grated Recording– Uses two wavelengths of light

• Both used to write, one used to read non-destructively

• Once research is done, size and format are addressed

Anything Else Being/Can Be Done?

• I feel larger communication and computer companies need to realize the viability of such a technology– IBM, Intel, Lucent

• Some already are• Big advances are being made• Research should be done in Universities and

research facilities such as Bell Labs (techniques), and chemical research facilities (materials)

Who is Involved…

• InPhase Technologies, venture of Lucent Technologies– Exclusive purpose is to develop high-performance

holographic data storage media– Seem to be leaders in viable product, near useable solution

• Government and other participants donate $32 million for research– Large majority of research focused at Standford and

IBM’s Almaden Research Facility• Main focus on testing optical system components and holographic

storage materials (DEMON)

And…

• Carnegie-Mellon University

• GTE Corp.

• IBM’s Watson Research Center

• University of Arizona

• University of Dayton– All focus on material research and technique

research

…Lastly

• Kodak– Focus almost entirely on material development– Foremost leader in the development of crystal

an polymer alternatives

• Aprilis, Inc– Part of Polaroid, Inc.– Focus on developing a commercialized HODS

or Holographic Data Storage System (HDSS)

Impacts

• The everyday user might not notice the impact other then more space on his/her computer

• Big benefactors are big business and internet– Parallel data storage and retrieval allows for very fast

data excess for number crunching and experiments (much faster computation times)

– Much faster data access for internet servers as well as much larger storage densities (MB/in2)

– Cheaper cost per Megabyte once mainstream

• Data storage for libraries, documents and so forth will be cheaper and take up less space and access will be much faster

Implications

• As mentioned before, much faster access

• Unfortunately, not too many technological advances will arise due to the introduction of HODS’s– Everything is mostly off the shelf technology

• Polymer, Crystal, and Film technology or knowledge might benefit

Market

• Current storage memory market exceeds $100 billion dollars worldwide– $47 billion is solely hard disk, $42 billion magnetic

tape drives, $6 billion optical disk

• This is growing at 40% a year (1998)• HODS has the possibility of taking over this entire

market– Can assimilate all these data storage types

– Little to no competitive alternatives on the horizon

When Can I Get One

• Estimates of the emergence for such a technology is anywhere from 2003 to as late as 2010 and beyond– “To solve the materials problem requires

invention and an invention can’t be scheduled” (Hans Croufal, IBM’s Almaden Research Center)

– First uses will be in network administration servers and internet servers

Long Term

• Eventually HODS’s may take over magnetic and optical devices all together– DVD’s with 1.6 terabytes on them– 1-centimeter square (sugar cube) holding a terabyte plus of

data– Smaller (1-2 inch disc) type media– Less need for compression techniques (depending on

internet communications)• Less data loss

– Even smaller computers (hard drive one of the largest components)

– Less power to drive = longer lasting laptops

Other Impacts

• Not a product that will increase the quality of life per say

• Faster data access (internet)

• Smaller, Cheaper electronics

• More storage per dollar (long term)

• The main importance is that new storage mediums must be found

Conclusion

• Built on technology that’s around for 40+ years• HODS may be the future of data storage

– HUGE capacity, Very fast, Smaller– Parallel processing

• Current storage methods nearing there fundamental limits of storage density

• Stationary parts for some techniques• Meets the demand for a capacity hungry society• Large market and little new competition

Demo

• InPhase Technology demo

• http://www.inphase-technologies.com

Further Research/Bibliography

• www.redherring.com/index.asp?layout=story&channel=70000007&doc_id=1050016905

• www.aprilisinc.com/

• www.lucent.com/press/0101/010130.bla.html

• www.enteleky.com/holography/mpaper.htm

• www.manhattsci.com/

• http://www.research.ibm.com/research/press/holographic.html

• http://www.imation.com/about/news/newsitem/0%2C1233%2C298%2C00.html

• http://www.pitt.edu/~drew1/2089/holo.htm

• http://www.sciam.com/2000/0500issue/0500toigbox5.html

Bibliography Continues

• Dogan A. Timucin and John D. Downie, IEEE Potentials, Vol. 19, No. 4, Holographic Optical Storage, Oct/Nov 2000

• H. Vormann and E. Kratzig, Solid State Communications: Holographic Storage, 843, (1990)

• IBM Holographic Storage Team, Laser Focus World, Holographic Storage Promises High data Density, Nov. 1996, pp. 81-93

• G. T. Sincerbox, ed., Selected Papers on Holographic Storage (SPIE Milestone Series 95) (1994)

• J. F. Heasnue, M. C. Bashaw, and L. Hesselink, Science, Volume Holograhic Storage and Retrieval of Digital Data, (1994)

• H. Guenther, G. Whittmann, R. M. Macfarlane, and R.R. Neurgaonkar, Intensity dependence and white-light gating od two-color photorefractive gratings in LiNbO3, Sept. 1, 1997 / Vol. 22, No. 17 / OPTICS LETTER