Crystallization-resistant photorefractive polymer composite with high diffraction efficiency and reproducibility

We report on a high optical quality, long-life guest-host photorefractive polymer composite which exhibits a 60% device steady-state diffraction efficiency and 120 cm−1 two-beam coupling gain, well in excess of its absorption of 3.5 cm−1, at a wavelength of 676 nm. In contrast to alternative composite materials of comparable high dye content, this performance has been achieved without unacceptably compromising device lifetime or ease of fabrication and storage. This is an efficient, easily prepared and comparatively stable polymer composite with device lifetimes under storage conditions already exceeding eight months and no indication of sample degradation with repeated holographic read–write cycles.