Theoretical and experimental study of stratified volume holographic grating

Abstract

Stratified-volume holographie gratings (SVHGs) consist of sandwiched active and passive layers1. The thin gratings are recorded on active layers, and the passive layers are used to modify the diffraction properties for a given order. Theoretical analyses of such a system were carried out by using a convolution approach. The two-active-layer system was constructed, and a good agreement between the experimental results and the theoretical analyses was demonstrated. The stratified-volume holographic gratings show some particular properties that make them different from the thin and thick holographic gratings. For example, the diffraction intensity of a given diffraction order varies periodically with the incident angle of the light. From theoretical and experimental studies of the SVHG, we can obtain the desired diffraction properties (the diffraction efficiency, the angular selectivity, the wavelength selectivity, and the angular period) by selecting the system parameters (such as the modulation strength of the gratings, the grating spacing, the thickness and refraction index of the passive layers, and the transverse relative position of the gratings). Their particular properties make them useful for many applications.