Abstract

Two-wave mixing in photorefractive materials can generate photocurrents^1-3 which can be used to infer physical parameter values of the host material. In these experiments a single laser beam is split into two optical paths. Light transversing one path encounters some form of optical phase modulation. The two beams are then brought to interference in a photoconductive semiconductor containing mid-band- gap trapping sites. The interference pattern forms an internal moving space charge field which can generate an alternating current flow inside the material.

© 1994 Optical Society of America