RASTABT
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Holographic Data Storage (HDS) media developer, Polight Technologies Limited, announced today a technical breakthrough that will eventually enable 1TB (1,000 Gigabytes) of data to be stored on a standard size 120mm disc.
Since the late 1990s the key and missing element to enable HDS to transform removable data storage technologies has been the media - the material into which data is actually written. Polight's innovative approach is based on inorganic glass technology from the University of Cambridge in England. This advanced research has delivered an entirely novel material called Holonide(tm), which offers huge advantages over conventional HDS media.
Two key challenges have been faced by HDS media developers in recent years: firstly, wasteful scattering of laser light though the media, which reduces the density and reading speed. Secondly, achieving a high "M#" - an industry figure of merit that broadly describes the capacity that can be expected in a real product. Holonide(tm)'s patent pending formulation gives it extremely high optical quality, eliminating the light scattering issue, whist the M# achieved indicates a potential capacity of 1TB compressed (500GB uncompressed) in a first generation product in early 2005.
Polight's materials, sensitive to either green or low cost red lasers, allow a fundamentally low cost manufacturing process to be adopted, using many elements of existing recordable DVD disc production processes. As a result, Holonides(tm) will ultimately enable low cost consumer applications to be developed.
Michael Ledzion, Polight's CEO commented: "From a 'virtual' company less than 12 months ago, Polight is now delivering consistently high quality results that offer huge improvements in media performance. Recent investment in new clean-room facilities means that Polight is on schedule to offer drive companies and end users a uniquely competitive solution for storing huge quantities of image, multimedia and archival data. We look forward to working with our partners to deliver these exciting new products."
ENDS
For further information:
Contact: Michael Ledzion, Chief Executive Officer, Polight Technologies Limited Ph: +44 (0)1223 708 000, e-mail: michael.ledzion@polight.com
Or contact (Japanese speaker): Dr. Andrew Matthews, Development Director, Polight Technologies Limited, Ph: +44 (0)1223 708 000, email: andrew.matthews@polight.com.
About Polight Technologies:
Polight, formed in July 2000, is a "spinout" company from the University of Cambridge's Chemistry Department. The company has patents in the field of methods and materials for holographic storage. In addition, the company holds related IPR based on similar activities that could be used for highly robust switching of optical fibre circuits.
Polight is using its materials expertise to develop a new Holodisc(tm) that will revolutionise the high-end data storage markets. The first generation Holodisc( will offer a huge capacity of 500GB - 1000GB at read and write speeds in excess of 1Gb/s (in comparison to a DVD disc which offers 4.7GB capacity and read/write speeds of c. 24Mb/s).
Holographic Data Storage is highlighted by experts as offering the prospect of a revolution in data storage. Until now, however, commercialisation has been delayed for lack of a suitable media (material to store the data in). This is the challenge which Polight believes to have resolved with its patent-pending Holonide(tm) glasses.
The Company is backed by a variety of high profile UK and international Venture Capital organisations, including Cambridge Gateway Fund(UK), and NIF(Japan)
For more information see www.polight.com.
About Holographic Data Storage
Holographic Data Storage ("HDS") is considered extremely powerful because data is stored in 3 dimensions (vs 2 dimensions for conventional hard drive and CD/DVD technologies). Furthermore, up to 1 million bits of information can be stored in each storing event (vs singly, bit by bit for virtually all other methods of data storage). This presents three distinct advantages over traditional data storage methods:
A large increase in data storage capacity
A huge increase in read and write speeds
Highly secure data storage for archival of legally sensitive documents and information, such as email
Traditionally two classes of media have been researched for Holographic Data Storage, one based on Lithium Niobate, and the other based on Polymers. Polight is unique in exploiting inorganic glasses for HDS.
source www.polight.com
Since the late 1990s the key and missing element to enable HDS to transform removable data storage technologies has been the media - the material into which data is actually written. Polight's innovative approach is based on inorganic glass technology from the University of Cambridge in England. This advanced research has delivered an entirely novel material called Holonide(tm), which offers huge advantages over conventional HDS media.
Two key challenges have been faced by HDS media developers in recent years: firstly, wasteful scattering of laser light though the media, which reduces the density and reading speed. Secondly, achieving a high "M#" - an industry figure of merit that broadly describes the capacity that can be expected in a real product. Holonide(tm)'s patent pending formulation gives it extremely high optical quality, eliminating the light scattering issue, whist the M# achieved indicates a potential capacity of 1TB compressed (500GB uncompressed) in a first generation product in early 2005.
Polight's materials, sensitive to either green or low cost red lasers, allow a fundamentally low cost manufacturing process to be adopted, using many elements of existing recordable DVD disc production processes. As a result, Holonides(tm) will ultimately enable low cost consumer applications to be developed.
Michael Ledzion, Polight's CEO commented: "From a 'virtual' company less than 12 months ago, Polight is now delivering consistently high quality results that offer huge improvements in media performance. Recent investment in new clean-room facilities means that Polight is on schedule to offer drive companies and end users a uniquely competitive solution for storing huge quantities of image, multimedia and archival data. We look forward to working with our partners to deliver these exciting new products."
ENDS
For further information:
Contact: Michael Ledzion, Chief Executive Officer, Polight Technologies Limited Ph: +44 (0)1223 708 000, e-mail: michael.ledzion@polight.com
Or contact (Japanese speaker): Dr. Andrew Matthews, Development Director, Polight Technologies Limited, Ph: +44 (0)1223 708 000, email: andrew.matthews@polight.com.
About Polight Technologies:
Polight, formed in July 2000, is a "spinout" company from the University of Cambridge's Chemistry Department. The company has patents in the field of methods and materials for holographic storage. In addition, the company holds related IPR based on similar activities that could be used for highly robust switching of optical fibre circuits.
Polight is using its materials expertise to develop a new Holodisc(tm) that will revolutionise the high-end data storage markets. The first generation Holodisc( will offer a huge capacity of 500GB - 1000GB at read and write speeds in excess of 1Gb/s (in comparison to a DVD disc which offers 4.7GB capacity and read/write speeds of c. 24Mb/s).
Holographic Data Storage is highlighted by experts as offering the prospect of a revolution in data storage. Until now, however, commercialisation has been delayed for lack of a suitable media (material to store the data in). This is the challenge which Polight believes to have resolved with its patent-pending Holonide(tm) glasses.
The Company is backed by a variety of high profile UK and international Venture Capital organisations, including Cambridge Gateway Fund(UK), and NIF(Japan)
For more information see www.polight.com.
About Holographic Data Storage
Holographic Data Storage ("HDS") is considered extremely powerful because data is stored in 3 dimensions (vs 2 dimensions for conventional hard drive and CD/DVD technologies). Furthermore, up to 1 million bits of information can be stored in each storing event (vs singly, bit by bit for virtually all other methods of data storage). This presents three distinct advantages over traditional data storage methods:
A large increase in data storage capacity
A huge increase in read and write speeds
Highly secure data storage for archival of legally sensitive documents and information, such as email
Traditionally two classes of media have been researched for Holographic Data Storage, one based on Lithium Niobate, and the other based on Polymers. Polight is unique in exploiting inorganic glasses for HDS.
source www.polight.com
