Holographic storage and associative processing of analog and digital data

Volume holographic memories combine high storage capacity, massive transfer rates due to page-oriented access, and the ability to associatively search the entire data set in a highly parallel way. We have developed an angularly multiplexed volume holographic associative memory for storing and searching alphanumeric database records. The system uses LiNbO₃:Fe as the storage medium and operates in three modes: a) the recording mode, when data pages are loaded on the spatial light modulator (SLM) and written in the crystal, b) the addressed-based retrieval mode, when a certain page is chosen and retrieved with the reference beam incident on the crystal at a given angle (address), and c) the content-based retrieval mode