Abstract

Photorefractive lithium niobate crystals (LiNbO₃) are promising for many applications such as, e.g., narrow-band wavelength filters for telecommunication and holographic storage devices for multimedia.^1-5 However, many practical applications of this material are inhibited by two problems: The refractive index changes are too small and the sensitivity is too low, i.e., too much light is required to build the refractive index changes up. The bulk photovoltaic effect is the dominant charge driving force.

© 2002 Optical Society of America