Associative data search in phase encoded volume holographic storage systems

Volume holography offers fundamentally new concepts for current demands on optical data storage systems. High data transfer rates can be achieved due to the page oriented storage and the superposition of many holograms in one location of the storage media. The latter which is facilitated by exploiting the Bragg condition is called multiplexing. This holographic principle is also the key for fast data search routines. Through optical correlation any input information can instantaneously be compared with previously recorded data pages, enabling associative data search. In systems based on angular multiplexing the implementation of this data search technique is straightforward. However, in systems based on phase-code multiplexing that offers several advantages, this task is more involved. In our contribution we present a novel simple and competitive approach on associative data search in phase encoded systems, which overcomes crucial shortcomings of older techniques.