Abstract

Photopolymers are attractive materials for holographic optical elements and holographic data storage media because of their self-developing and high-resolution recording capabilities.¹ The basic mechanism of the hologram formation in photopolymers is as follows: Free radicals are created by the dissociation of initiators under illumination and then the photopolymerization of monomers proceeds in illuminated bright regions. This process leads to the refractive index modulation between bright and dark regions. Here we report on the diffraction properties of nanoparticle-dispersed photopolymer films. Inorganic materials have a wide range of refractive indices and can be used to increase refractive index changes in photopolymers.

© 2002 Optical Society of America