Single wall domain latrix for optical data processing system

Abstract

A light accessable transistor matrix (latrix) that utilizes an optical page composer having single wall domains, i.e., bubbles, in a layer of magnetizable material as the optical shutter or light valve is disclosed. The latrix is configured into an holographic memory system. The optical page composer is comprised of a magnetizable layer having orthogonal sets of D parallel digit lines and W parallel word lines, the DW intersections of which form DW memory areas. Each memory area has four quadrants defined by the intersecting digit line and word line. An opaque shield is oriented in each memory area for optically shielding a bubble except when in the exposed first quadrant within the memory area. Coincident current selection, e.g., concurrent half current selection, of one digit line and of one word line by half-select write signals permits the one fully selected memory area to be separately selected for the write operation. Full current selection of one word line permits the read operation to concurrently read all memory areas along the one fully selected word line. Optical read out of the stored data along a selected word line by a one-dimensional photosensor array is accomplished by a selective positioning of the associated bubbles in either the first or the fourth quadrant of the associated memory areas corresponding to the readout of a stored 1 or a stored 0.