Abstract

A detailed understanding of electrically controlled diffraction (ECD) in photorefractive media is important if new applications based on this effect, such as dynamic wavelength filtering and crossbar switching, are to be developed.¹ In addition, ECD may become an important aspect of holographic data storage since detrimental effects associated with photorefractive beam fanning and nonlinear two-wave mixing can be eliminated by recording in a material under conditions such that no linear electro-optic effect is present and subsequently using ECD to provide low-noise, high-fidelity reconstruction. Combining ECD with a suitable fixing mechanism, such as thermal fixing, will serve to further expand the range of possible new applications.

© 1994 Optical Society of America