PACS storage technology update: holographic storage.

This paper focuses on the emerging technology of holographic storage and its effect on picture archiving and communication systems (PACS). A review of the emerging technology is presented, which includes a high level description of holographic drives and the associated substrate media, the laser and optical technology, and the spatial light modulator. The potential advantages and disadvantages of holographic drive and storage technology are evaluated. PACS administrators face myriad complex and expensive storage solutions and selecting an appropriate system is time-consuming and costly. Storage technology may become obsolete quickly because of the exponential nature of the advances in digital storage media. Holographic storage may turn out to be a low cost, high speed, high volume storage solution of the future; however, data is inconclusive at this early stage of the technology lifecycle. Despite the current lack of quantitative data to support the hypothesis that holographic technology will have a significant effect on PACS and standards of practice, it seems likely from the current information that holographic technology will generate significant efficiencies. This paper assumes the reader has a fundamental understanding of PACS technology.