Abstract

Photochromic glasses^[1] display a strong nonlinear optical density behavior for even moderate light levels. The optical density increases reversibly by illumination with (UV) light due to the formation of finely dispersed silver metal clusters with typical diameters less than 10 nm in the glass. The transient times after change in illumination are in the order of seconds to minutes at ambient temperature.

© 1992 IQEC