Observation of the photorefractive effect in a dialkylaminonitrostilbene copolymer

Abstract

We report observations of the photorefractive effect in a 1:1 side-chain copolymer of N-methacryloxyethyl-N-methylaminonitrostilbene with methyl methacrylate. Without the addition of a photoconducting component, gratings were written in this polymer at 633 nm in 8-μm-thick films at low powers and were detected by use of a four-wave mixing measurement. Diffraction efficiencies of the order of 10−5 −10−4 were measured by four-wave mixing.