Hologram indexing in LiNbO_3 with a tunable pulsed laser source

Abstract

The angular and wavelength selectivity characteristics of holograms written with a tunable pulsed dye laser and a cw argon laser were measured. A hologram in a 0.05% weight iron doped crystal was shown to possess ~40% broader bandwidths than a hologram written in a nominally pure crystal of the same thickness. Analyses based on these bandwidths indicate a 430-500-mum effective hologram thickness in a 1-mm thick crystal, which is of the order of the absorption length (380 mum). The implications of these results with respect to optical memories are discussed.