Write-read-erase in situ optical memory using thermoplastic holograms.

A method of using a thermoplastic hologram array for a write-read-erase in situ optical memory is proposed. A model of the proposed memory consisting of an array of 3 x 3 holograms was constructed. The experimental results of the model demonstrated that (1) thermoplastic holograms can be organized into an array on a single glass plate with adequate thermal isolation, (2) the number of recording-erasure cycles of a thermoplastic hologram can be well over 100, and (3) because of the absence of Bragg diffraction from thermoplastic holograms, the input and the output planes of the memory can be conveniently separated without any imaging lens and mechanical movement. Photographs of some images obtained from one hologram of the model array are shown.