Optical recording apparatus using one-dimensional diffractive light modulator

Abstract

The present invention relates to an optical recording apparatus, which multiplexes the radiation angles of diffracted beams through the use of a one-dimensional diffractive light modulator at the time of recording data on a holographic recording medium, etc., so that the occurrence of errors associated with a high addressing rate and spatial location for data recording is prevented, thus making a separate correction circuit and an additional device for compensating for errors unnecessary.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates, in general, to optical recording apparatuses using a one-dimensional diffractive light modulator and, more particularly, to an optical recording apparatus, which can simultaneously record a plurality of pieces of data at a precise location when recording data on a holographic recording medium, etc.

2. Description of the Related Art

Recently, a holographic digital data storage system using a semiconductor laser, a Charge Coupled Device (CCD), a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), etc. has been actively researched/developed. Since the holographic digital data storage system is advantageous in that it has a large storage capacity and very high data transfer rate, not only is it utilized for fingerprint recognition devices for storing and reproducing fingerprints, display devices, etc., but also the application fields thereof have been gradually extended.

Such a holographic digital data storage system allows object light, transmitted from an object, and reference light to interfere with each other, records interference patterns generated due to the interference in a storage medium, such as an optical refractive crystal or polymer that differently reacts to the amplitude and phase of interference patterns, and stores three-dimensional holographic digital data in pages each composed of binary data.

Further, the holographic digital data storage system reproduces the stored three-dimensional data by intercepting the object light and providing only the reference light to the storage medium. The holographic digital data are generally recorded and reproduced in pages in the form of rectangular image data having the shape identical to that of a display screen. However, since alignment is required for precise reproduction, alignment marks are formed on the edges of a holographic data page. In this case, when the alignment marks on the data page are formed as images on a CCD in a pixel-to-pixel manner, light spreads to a neighboring pixel due to the alignment marks if the alignment is not precisely performed, thus causing a problem in that it is impossible to precisely measure alignment. In order to solve the problem, U.S. Pat. No. 6,064,586 proposes a new alignment method for holographic data storage and retrieval, in which alignment marks are boldly indicated on opposite vertical lines formed on the pixels of a holographic data page by three columns, and alignment is performed using the boldly indicated marks. However, there is a limitation in that it is difficult to precisely measure alignment using the alignment marks on pixels due to the characteristics of the holographic data recording and reproduction apparatus that measures alignment within a range of ±0.5 pixel.

In order to overcome the limitation, as shown in FIG. 1, Korean Pat. Appl. No. 2002-30147 proposes a holographic data recording and reproduction apparatus, which obtains the regression lines of edges in each page using Fourier approximation with respect to pixels inserted to perform alignment in a data page, and controls an actuator for adjusting a reference light angle depending on the pixels in each page, the location of regression lines and the difference in slopes, thus automatically controlling the alignment of the data page.

FIG. 1 is a view showing the construction of a conventional holographic data recording and reproduction apparatus.

Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional holographic data recording and reproduction apparatus includes a light source 100, an optoisolator 102, shutters 104 and 110, reflectors 106 and 112, a spatial light modulator 114, an actuator 108, a storage medium 116, a CCD 118, a microcomputer 120, a servo control unit 122, and an image compensation processing unit 124.

A process of automatically aligning data pages in the conventional holographic data recording and reproduction apparatus having the above construction is described.

First, the conventional holographic data recording and reproduction apparatus radiates only a reference beam having a set recording angle onto the storage medium 116 at the time of data reproduction, reproduces a holographic digital data page and transmits the holographic digital data page to the CCD 118. Then, the microcomputer 120 selects one row or column from the data page transmitted from the CCD 118, and performs automatic alignment for the data page. The microcomputer 120 approximates the alignment mark region of the selected row or column using the continuous function of row or column data values.

That is, the microcomputer 120 approximates the alignment mark region using the continuous function of the row or column data values of the data page so as to process a holographic image at a sub-pixel level. At this time, the Fourier approximation is used as the approximation method, and it is noted in the Fourier approximation that the number of harmonics must be equal to or less than ½ of the number of data values.

Further, when a vertical alignment mark is intended to be measured using row pixels, an angle approaches 90°, so that a term of the partial differentiation of y should be deleted. Next, the microcomputer 120 performs second order differentiation with respect to the approximated function and obtains the first or second edge value of the data page. In order to detect the edge of the data page, the second order differentiation is used, and a point where the value, obtained from the second order differentiation of the approximated function, becomes “0”, that is, an inflection point, is an edge. That is, the first edge value is a value when the approximated function is maximal and becomes “0”, and indicates a left edge. The second edge value is a value when the approximated function is minimal and becomes “0”, and indicates a right edge.

In the meantime, the conventional holographic data recording and reproduction apparatus may use both first and second edge values, or any one of them at the time of obtaining the edge values of the data page.

The microcomputer 120 selects a row or column from the data page, obtains each approximated function from the row following the selected row to the last row, or from the column following the selected column to the last column, performs second order differentiation with respect to each approximated function, and obtains each first or second edge value. Next, the microcomputer 120 obtains the regression lines of the first and second edge values of the rows or columns using a fitting method, such as a least squares method. If an alignment mark to be measured is precisely in the center of the left and right edges, the alignment mark is obtained by calculating a mean of the left and right edges.

If the location or slope of the regression line does not have a distance or slope set based on a predetermined position on the data page, the microcomputer 120 controls the server control unit 122 of the actuator 108, adjusting the angle of a reference beam, to automatically align a holographic data page.

For example, if the measured location of the regression line deviates from a distance of a normal data page added to 0.5 pixels by 7 pixels, the servo control unit 122 causes the actuator 108 to be moved by −7 pixels and the data page to be reproduced. Then, the data page reproduced by the CCD 118 is precisely reproduced within a 0.5 pixel range.

In the meantime, if the location or slope of the regression line does not have a distance or slope set based on a predetermined location on the data page, the microcomputer 120 transmits the data page to the image compensation processing unit 124 and executes digital signal processing, thus compensating for the image on the holographic data page. That is, the image compensation processing unit 124 moves the image on the data page by a difference between the measured location or slope of the regression line and the location or slope set based on the predetermined location on the data page, so that automatic alignment can be performed.

However, the above-described conventional holographic data recording and reproduction apparatus is problematic in that, since an error associated with a spatial location may occur at the time of recording data on a holographic recording medium, etc. using a spatial light modulator, a separate correction device or additional device must be installed to prevent the error.

Further, there is technology of finely changing an angle at the same location and recording a plurality of pieces of information at the same location so as to improve recording density in a conventional holographic optical recording apparatus. This technology uses a rotation stage to implement the multiplexing of angles. However, there is a problem in that, when the rotation stage is used, the inversion rate of the holographic optical recording apparatus is deteriorated due to the low speed of the rotation stage, and a location correction circuit, etc. must be separately provided due to the location error occurring in the rotation stage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a holographic optical recording apparatus, which generates reference beams having different angles through the use of a one-dimensional diffractive light modulator, and records data on a holographic recording medium, etc., thus precisely controlling a high addressing rate and a precise location.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an optical recording apparatus, which multiplexes the radiation angles of diffracted reference beams through a one-dimensional diffractive light modulator at the time of recording data on a holographic recording medium, etc., thus precisely controlling a nanosecond addressing rate and the spatial location for data recording.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an optical recording apparatus, which multiplexes the radiation angles of diffracted beams through the use of a one-dimensional diffractive light modulator at the time of recording data on a holographic recording medium, etc., so that the occurrence of errors associated with a high addressing rate and the spatial location for data recording is prevented, thus causing a separate correction circuit and additional device for error compensation to be unnecessary.

In order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides an optical recording apparatus, comprising light generation and radiation means for generating beams and dispersing and radiating the generated beams in two directions; signal beam generation and radiation means for diffracting and modulating the beams incident from the light generation and radiation means to generate signal beams, and radiating the signal beams onto a recording medium; and reference beam generation and radiation means for diffracting and modulating the beams incident from the light generation and radiation means to generate reference beams, and radiating the reference beams onto the recording medium depending on radiation angles obtained when the reference beams are generated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view showing the construction of a conventional holographic data recording and reproducing apparatus;

FIG. 2a is a view showing the construction of an optical recording apparatus using a one-directional diffractive light modulator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2b is a view showing an example of a method of controlling the radiation angles of diffracted beams using the one-dimensional diffractive light modulator applied to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a view showing an array of actuating cells constituting a piezoelectric/electrostrictive diffractive light modulator applied to the present invention and having a thick film shape with a vertical length longer than a horizontal length;

FIG. 4 is a view showing an array of actuating cells constituting a piezoelectric/electrostrictive diffractive light modulator applied to the present invention and having a thick film shape with a horizontal length longer than a vertical length;

FIG. 5 is a view showing an array of actuating cells, which are applied to the piezoelectric/electrostrictive diffractive light modulator of FIGS. 3 and 4, and on which micromirrors are formed, each actuating cell having a thick film shape with a vertical length longer than a horizontal length;

FIG. 6 is a view showing an array of actuating cells, which are applied to the piezoelectric/electrostrictive diffractive light modulator of FIGS. 3 and 4, and on which micromirrors are formed, each actuating cell having a thin film shape with a horizontal length longer than a vertical length;

FIG. 7 is a view showing an array of actuating cells constituting a piezoelectric/electrostrictive diffractive light modulator applied to the present invention and having a thin film shape with a vertical length longer than a horizontal length;

FIG. 8 is a view showing an array of actuating cells constituting a piezoelectric/electrostrictive diffractive light modulator applied to the present invention and having a thin film shape with a horizontal length longer than a vertical length;

FIG. 9 is a view showing an array of actuating cells, which are applied to the piezoelectric/electrostrictive diffractive light modulator of FIGS. 3 and 4, and on which micromirrors are formed, each actuating cell having a thin film shape with a vertical length longer than a horizontal length;

FIG. 10 is a view showing an array of actuating cells, which are applied to the piezoelectric/electrostrictive diffractive light modulator of FIGS. 3 and 4, and on which micromirrors are formed, each actuating cell having a thick film shape with a horizontal length longer than a vertical length;

FIG. 11a is a view showing a one-dimensional array of pixels including a certain number of actuating cells and having a shape with a vertical length longer than a horizontal length in the piezoelectric/electrostrictive diffractive light modulator of FIGS. 3 and 4; and

FIG. 11b is a view showing a one-dimensional array of pixels including a certain number of actuating cells and having a shape with a horizontal length longer than a vertical length in the piezoelectric/electrostrictive diffractive light modulator of FIGS. 3 and 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 2a is a view showing the construction of an optical recording apparatus using a one-directional diffractive light modulator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2b is a view showing an example of a method of controlling the radiation angles of diffracted beams using the one-dimensional diffractive light modulator of FIG. 2a.

Referring to FIG. 2a, an optical recording apparatus 200 of the present invention includes a light generation and radiation unit 210 for generating beams and dispersing and radiating the generated beams in two directions, a signal beam generation and radiation unit 230 for diffracting and modulating the beams incident from the light generation and radiation unit 210 to generate signal beams and radiating the signal beams onto a holographic recording medium 220, and a reference beam generation and radiation unit 240 for diffracting and modulating the beams incident from the light generation and radiation unit 210 to generate reference beams and radiating the reference beams onto the holographic recording medium 220.

The light generation and radiation unit 210 includes a light source 211 for generating the beams, at least one collimator lens 212 for converting the beams generated by the light source 211 into parallel beams, a beam splitter 213 for allowing part of the beams, converted into parallel beams through the collimator lens 212, to pass therethrough and reflecting the remaining beams, a cylindrical lens 214 for radiating the beams passed through the beam splitter 213 in one direction, and a cylindrical lens 215 for radiating the beams reflected by the beam splitter 213 in one direction.

The light source 211 may be implemented using a laser or Laser Diode (LD) for generating laser beams. In this case, the LD, which is the light source 211, has a relatively low output. The reason for this is that the light source 211 simultaneously radiates a plurality of beams, and the radiation time of the LD required for exposure is allowed to be long with respect to a single pixel.

The collimator lens 212 is disposed between the light source 211 and the beam splitter 213, and if two or more collimator lenses 212 are employed, the collimator lenses are arranged to be spaced apart from each other at regular intervals.

The signal beam generation and radiation unit 230 includes a one-dimensional diffractive light modulator 231 for diffracting and modulating the beams incident from the light generation and radiation unit 210 to generate signal beams, a beam splitter 232 for allowing the beams radiated from the light generation and radiation unit 210 to pass through the one-dimensional diffractive light modulator 231 and reflecting the signal beams generated by the one-dimensional diffractive light modulator 231, a cylindrical lens 233 for radiating the signal beams reflected by the beam splitter 232 in one direction, a focusing lens 234 for focusing the signal beams radiated through the cylindrical lens 233, a slit 235 for allowing only certain order diffracted beams among the signal beams focused through the focusing lens 234 to pass therethrough, a collimator lens 236 for converting the signal beams passed through the slit 235 into parallel beams, and a focusing lens 237 for focusing the parallel signal beams, converted by the collimator lens 236, and radiating the focused signal beams on the holographic recording medium 220.

The diffractive light modulator 231 can simultaneously control a minimum of two pixels to a maximum of several hundreds or thousands of pixels within a range allowed by an optical system. Further, the diffractive light modulator 231 can control pixels in an analog manner and perform gray control when the diffractive light modulator 231 is applied to printers and display products. In this case, the diffractive light modulator 231 controls an optical lens and an optical projection distance, so that the size of a corresponding spot and an interval between spots can be controlled.

Further, each of the signal beams radiated after being diffracted and modulated by the one-dimensional diffractive light modulator 231 is comprised of one or more signal arrays. In this case, one signal array is characterized in that it is formed of a plurality of bits, such as 4 bits, 16 bits or 64 bits. Such signal beams are radiated to a specific address of the holographic recording medium 220.

The slit 235 allows only certain order diffracted signal beams among the signal beams, focused through the focusing lens 234 after being diffracted and modulated by the diffractive light modulator 231, to pass therethrough. For example, if the orders of the signal beams diffracted by the diffractive light modulator 231 are −1st order, 0th order, and +1st order, and the slit 235 is designed to allow only +1st order diffracted beams to pass therethrough, the slit 235 allows the +1st order diffracted beams to pass therethrough.

The focusing lens 237 precisely focuses the signal beams radiated through the collimator lens 236 onto a preset address of the holographic recording medium 220. This operation is performed to precisely record data forming the signal beams at the preset address of the holographic recording medium 220.

The reference beam generation and radiation unit 240 includes a one-dimensional diffractive light modulator 241 for differentially turning on/off pixels, each generating one reference beam, at regular intervals when diffracting and modulating the beams incident from the light generation and radiation unit 210 to generate the reference beams, thus generating reference beams having one or more different angles, a beam splitter 242 for reflecting the reference beams having one or more angles generated by the diffractive light modulator 241, a horizontal beam lens 243 for radiating the reference beams having one or more angles reflected through the beam splitter 242 in a horizontal direction, a reflector 244 for reflecting the reference beams having one or more angles radiated through the horizontal beam lens 243 in a vertical direction, a spatial filter 245 for magnifying the diameter of each of the reference beams reflected through the reflector 244, a reflector 246 for reflecting the reference beams having one or more angles radiated through the spatial filter 245 in an oblique direction, and a focusing lens 247 for focusing the reference beams having one or more angles reflected through the reflector 246 and radiating the focused reference beams onto the holographic recording medium 220.

The one-dimensional diffractive light modulator 241 can simultaneously control a minimum of two pixels to a maximum of several hundreds or thousands of pixels within a range allowed by an optical system. Further, the diffractive light modulator 241 can control pixels in an analog manner and perform gray control when the diffractive light modulator 231 is applied to printers and display products. With the above characteristics and construction, the diffractive light modulator 241 can control the ON/OFF operations of respective pixels when diffracting and modulating the beams incident from the light generation and radiation unit 210. Accordingly, the diffractive light modulator 241 differentially turns on/off the pixels, each generating one reference beam, at regular intervals when diffracting and modulating the incident beams to generate the reference beams, thus causing a uniform phase angle difference between the generated reference beams.

The reflector 244 reflects all of the reference beams having one or more angles radiated through the horizontal beam lens 243 in the direction of the reflector 246. The reflector 245 is arranged to be spaced apart from the reflector 244 so that the incident reference beams are perpendicular to reflected reference beams. At this time, a phase difference between the reference beams reflected from the reflector 244 is maintained at the same phase difference when the reference beams are incident on the reflector 244.

The reflector 246 obliquely reflects the reference beams radiated through the spatial filter 245 in the direction of the focusing lens 247 with a phase difference between the reflected reference beams being equal to that between incident reference beams.

FIG. 2b is a view showing an example of a method of controlling the radiation angles of diffracted beams using the one-dimensional diffractive light modulator applied to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2b, the reference beams having different radiation angles are generated by the one-dimensional diffractive light modulator 241, focused onto the focusing lens 247 at different radiation angles and radiated to a specific address of the holographic recording medium 220.

The operation of the optical recording apparatus of the present invention having the above construction is described in detail below.

When the light source 211 generates beams, the collimator lens 212 converts beams generated by the light source 211 into parallel beams and radiates the parallel beams onto the beam splitter 213. At this time, the beam splitter 213 allows part of the beams, converted into parallel beams through the collimator lens 212, to pass through the cylindrical lens 214, and reflects the remaining beams in the direction of the cylindrical lens 215.

Further, the beam splitter 232 of the signal beam generation and radiation unit 230 allows the beams incident from the cylindrical lens 214 to pass through the one-dimensional diffractive light modulator 231. Then, the one-dimensional diffractive light modulator 231 diffracts and modulates the radiated beams to generate the signal beams. At this time, the signal beams radiated after being diffracted and modulated by the one-dimensional diffractive light modulator 231 are each comprised of at least one signal array. For example, one signal array is comprised of a plurality of bits, such as 4 bits, 16 bits or 64 bits.

The beam splitter 232 reflects the signal beams generated by the one-dimensional diffractive light modulator 231 in the direction of the cylindrical lens 233. The signal beams reflected in this way are radiated onto the focusing lens 234 through the cylindrical lens 233. The focusing lens 234 focuses the signal beams into the slit 235. The slit 235 allows only certain order diffracted signal beams among the focused beams to pass through the collimator lens 236.

The collimator lens 236 converts the signal beams radiated through the slit 235 into parallel beams, and radiates the parallel beams onto the focusing lens 237. The focusing lens 237 focuses the parallel signal beams and radiates the parallel signal beams onto the holographic recording medium 220.

Further, the beam splitter 242 of the reference beam generation and radiation unit 240 radiates the beams incident from the cylindrical lens 215 to the one-dimensional diffractive light modulator 241. Then, the one-dimensional diffractive light modulator 241 diffracts and modulates the radiated beams to generate the reference beams. In this case, the one-dimensional diffractive light modulator 241 is characterized in that the phases of the reference beams generated by the pixels of the one-dimensional diffractive light modulator 241 are the same. For example, if the pixels of the one-dimensional diffractive light modulator 241 are controlled to be simultaneously turned on or off at the time of generating the reference beams, the phases of the reference beams generated by the pixels are the same. In contrast, if the pixels are controlled to be turned on or off at regular intervals at the time of generating the reference beams, the reference beams generated by the pixels have different radiation angles.

The beam splitter 242 reflects the reference beams having one or more angles generated by the diffractive light modulator 241 in the direction of the horizontal beam lens 243. The reference beams reflected in this way are perpendicularly reflected in the direction of the spatial filter 245 through the reflector 244. At this time, the spatial filter 245 magnifies the diameter of each of the reflected reference beams to a certain size and radiates the magnified reference beams onto the reflector 246.

The reflector 246 reflects the reference beams radiated from the spatial filter 245 in the direction of the focusing lens 247, and the focusing lens 247 focuses the reflected reference beams and radiates the focused beams to a preset address of the holographic recording medium 220.

As described above, if the signal beams, generated by the signal beam generation and radiation unit 230, and the reference beams, generated by the reference beam generation and radiation unit 240, are radiated to the preset address of the holographic recording medium 220, data forming the signal beams are recorded at the address. At this time, the data forming the signal beams are recorded only at spots onto which the reference beams are radiated. If the radiation angles of the reference beams radiated to the address are the same, only a piece of data is recorded, while if the radiation angles of the reference beams differ, pieces of data, the number of which is proportional to the number of radiation angles, are simultaneously recorded. In this case, a piece of data is comprised of a plurality of bits, such as 4 bits, 16 bits or 64 bits.

Therefore, as described above, the present invention controls the ON/OFF times of the pixels of the one-dimensional diffractive light modulator to generate a phase angle difference between the reference beams generated through the controlled ON/OFF times. Further, pieces of data, the number of which is proportional to the number of radiation angles of the reference beams, are controlled to be simultaneously recorded, thus shortening a data recording time and preventing location errors from occurring during the recording of data.

In the meantime, if the data recorded on the holographic recording medium 220 are radiated onto a focusing lens 250, the focusing lens 250 focuses the data onto a light receiving device 260.

Hereinafter, for the understanding of principles of generating a phase difference between reference beams generated by the one-dimensional diffractive light modulator 241, the construction and operating characteristics of the one-dimensional diffractive light modulator applied to the present invention are described in detail.

Generally, a piezoelectric/electrostrictive diffractive light modulator, which forms a diffracted beam having a diffraction coefficient by diffracting single beam-shaped linear light incident from a lens and scans the diffracted beam onto a photosensitive surface in a horizontal direction, includes a plurality of actuating cells 320 each formed in a thin film or thick film shape with a predetermined shape.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3a, the piezoelectric/electrostatic diffractive light modulator includes the actuating cells 320, each comprised of a lower electrode 321 formed on a substrate 310, a piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 322 formed on the lower electrode 321, and an upper electrode 323 formed on the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 322, each vertically driven by externally applied drive power, and each formed in a thick film shape with a vertical length longer than a horizontal length.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive diffractive light modulator may be constructed to include actuating cells 320 each having a thick film shape with a horizontal length longer than a vertical length in consideration of the structural characteristics of a scanning device.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive diffractive light modulator may be constructed to further include a micromirror 324 acting as a reflective surface to maximize the reflection efficiency of light incident on the upper electrode 323.

As shown in FIG. 7, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive diffractive light modulator includes actuating cells 320 each comprised of a lower electrode 321, a piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 322 and an upper electrode 323 that are sequentially formed on a silicon substrate 310, on which a depression for providing an air space is formed in a center portion, each horizontally driven by externally applied drive power, and each formed in a thin film shape with a vertical length longer than a horizontal length.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive diffractive light modulator may be constructed to include actuating cells 320 each formed in a thin film shape with a horizontal length longer than a vertical length in consideration of the structural characteristics of a scanning device.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive diffractive light modulator may be constructed to further include a micromirror 324 acting as the reflective surface to maximize the reflection efficiency of light incident on the upper electrode 323.

In this case, the lower electrode 321 is formed on a substrate 310 constituting the actuating cells 320 each having a thick film shape to provide an externally applied drive voltage to the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 322, and formed on the substrate 310 by applying a sputtering or evaporation method to an electrode material, such as Pt, Ta/Pt, Ni, Au, Al or Ru02.

Further, the lower electrode 321 is formed on a substrate 310 or lower supporting layer 310′ constituting the actuating cells 320 each having a thin film shape, and functions to provide an externally applied drive voltage to the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 322.

In this case, the lower supporting layer 310′ is evaporated and formed on the silicon substrate 310 to support the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 322 of the actuating cells 320 each having a thin film shape, and made of a material, such as SiO₂, Si₃N₄, Si, ZrO₂, or Al₂O₃. Such a lower supporting layer 310′ may be omitted according to circumstances.

The piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 322 is formed on the lower electrode 321 at a thickness range of 0.01 to 20.0 μm by applying a wet-type method (screen printing, Sol-Gel coating, etc.) or a dry-type method (sputtering, evaporation, vapor deposition, etc.) to a predetermined piezoelectric/electrostrictive material, the length of which is vertically or horizontally changed depending on a piezoelectric phenomenon occurring by the externally applied drive power, in particular, a material, such as PzT, PNN-PT, ZnO, P_b, Zr or titanium.

The upper electrode 323 is formed on the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 322 to reflect and diffract light incident from the lens, and, in particular, formed at a thickness range of 0.01 to 3 μm by applying a sputtering or evaporation method to an electrode material, such as Pt, Ta/Pt, Ni, Au, Al or Ru02.

In this case, the upper electrode 323 may act as a micromirror functioning to reflect and diffract an externally applied light signal, or may be constructed to further include the micromirror 324 made of Al, Au, Ag, Pt or Au/Cr, which is a light reflex material, so as to further strengthen the reflection and diffraction for the light signal.

In this case, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive diffractive light modulator is driven by the pixel 330 in which a certain number of actuating cells 320 are grouped together. The pixel 330 corresponds to a single dot on a photosensitive surface constituting a predetermined photosensitive member.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 11a and 11b, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive diffractive light modulator includes a certain number of actuating cells 320, and scans diffracted beams, formed by the diffraction of pixels 330 that are one-dimensionally arranged, onto the photosensitive surface, thus simultaneously performing one-dimensional scanning, in detail, for one line.

In this case, FIG. 11a is a view showing an array structure in which pixels each having a vertical length longer than a horizontal length are arrayed one-dimensionally, and FIG. 11b is a view showing an array structure in which pixels each having a horizontal length longer than a vertical length. are arrayed one-dimensionally.

As described above, the present invention has the following advantages by multiplexing the radiation angles of diffracted reference beams through a one-dimensional diffractive light modulator at the time of recording data on a holographic recording medium, etc.

First, the present invention is advantageous in that it simultaneously records a plurality of bits at the time of recording data on a holographic recording medium, etc., thus greatly increasing a data recording rate.

Second, the present invention is advantageous in that it multiplexes the radiation angles of diffracted reference beams through a one-dimensional diffractive light modulator at the time of recording data on a holographic recording medium, etc., thus precisely controlling a nanosecond addressing rate and the spatial location for data recording.

Third, the present invention is advantageous in that it prevents the occurrence of errors associated with a high addressing rate and the spatial location for data recording at the time of recording data on a holographic recording medium, etc., thus relatively simply constructing the apparatus without requiring a separate correction circuit for compensating for errors.

Fourth, the present invention is advantageous in that it precisely controls a nanosecond addressing rate and the spatial location for data recording at the time of recording data on a holographic recording medium, etc., thereby obtaining a high data transfer rate.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

1-30. (canceled)

31. An isolated antibody that binds immunologically to an epitope of SEQ ID NO: 15.

32. The isolated antibody of claim 31, further defined as a monoclonal antibody.

33. The isolated antibody of claim 31, further defined as a polyclonal antibody.

34. The isolated antibody of claim 31, further defined as labeled with a label.

35. The isolated antibody of claim 34, wherein the antibody is further defined as bound to biotin.

36. The isolated antibody of claim 34, wherein the antibody is further defined as bound to avidin.

37. The isolated antibody of claim 34, wherein the antibody is further defined as bound to streptavidin.

38. (canceled)

39. The isolated antibody of claim 34, wherein the antibody is further defined as conjugated to a secondary binding ligand.

40. The isolated antibody of claim 34, wherein the antibody is further defined as bound by a secondary antibody directed against the antibody.

41-43. (canceled)

44. The isolated antibody of claim 31, further defined as immobilized on an affinity column.

45. An immunodetection kit comprising the isolated antibody of claim 31.

46. The isolated antibody of claim 31, further defined as immunologically bound to a protein or polypeptide comprising an epitope of SEQ ID NO: 15.

47. The isolated antibody of claim 34, wherein the label is radioactive.

48. The isolated antibody of claim 34, wherein the label is chemiluminescent.

49. The isolated antibody of claim 34, wherein the label is colorimetric.

50. The isolated antibody of claim 39, wherein the secondary binding ligand is biotin.

51. The isolated antibody of claim 39, wherein the secondary binding ligand is avidin.

52. The isolated antibody of claim 39, wherein the secondary binding ligand is streptavidin.