ELECTRICAL CONTROL OF HOLOGRAPHIC STORAGE IN STRONTIUM-BARIUM NIOBATE

Abstract

Single‐crystal Sr_0.75Ba_0.25Nb₂O₆ when used in conjunction with an externally applied electric field is shown to be a sensitive volume holographic medium capable of high‐resolution information storage. Optically induced refractive index changes of 5 × 10⁻⁴ have been observed with laser exposure of 14 J/cm². A simple relation between the applied electric field and optical exposure is determined which allows electrical control of optically induced refractive index change. In addition to control of the optically induced effect it is found that the applied electric field can also be used to control the diffraction efficiency of the holographic reconstruction process.