CONCLUSION

The future of holographic memory is very promising. The page access of data that holographic memory creates will provide a window into next generation computing by adding another dimension to stored data. Finding holograms in personal computers might be a bit longer off, however. The large cost of high-tech optical equipment would make small-scale systems implemented with holographic memory impractical. Holographic memory will most likely be used in next generation super computers where cost is not as much of an issue. Current magnetic storage devices remain far more cost effective than any other medium on the market. The current storage in a personal computer operates on the same principles used in the first magnetic data storage devices. The parallel nature of holographic memory has many potential gains on serial storage methods. However, many advances in optical technology and photosensitive materials need to be made before we find holograms in computer systems.

Holographic techniques may provide a long sought ideal: a mass memory with archival permanence and yet electronic accessibility. It also promises to provide a long wished-for mass storage device for data processing that is devoid of any mechanical motion and which integrates in a single unit, permanent recording with high speed electronic random accessibility. Holographic technology is looking toward a wide range of commercial markets, including, multimedia computing, video-on-demand, high-definition television, portable computers, and consumer video.