Photopolymers for holographic recording : from standard to self-processing materials

Abstract

There has been a recent surge of interest in photopolymerizable materials in the field of holographic recording. Such materials exhibiting sensitivity in the UV, visible and near IR domains are now available. They are used for transmission or reflexion holography and generate permanent thick phase gratings. In spite of their poor photosensitivity compared to silver halide emulsions, they are interesting candidates for many holographic applications such as real time interferometry. The direct generation of images with no post-treatment, nor repositioning is their most attractive feature. A recording system which is sensitive in the 450-550 nm range and which is the most avanced version of the materials developed in Mulhouse, is used to exemplify the performances of self-developing polymer layers in the fields of interferometry, optical correlation or HOE