Dichromated polyvinyl alcohol as a real-time hologram recording material: some observations and discussions

The real-time hologram formation in dichromated polyvinyl alcohol films has been studied in the presence of external electron donors included in the formulation. The effect of different external electron donors on the photosensitivity and real-time diffraction efficiency of volume holographic transmission gratings has been reported. The electron donors studied were found to be detrimental to both holographic characteristics, even in small concentrations. Some parameters that influence the holographic performance are discussed, and results are given. The photochemical recording mechanism in dichromated polyvinyl alcohol in the presence and absence of electron donors is briefly discussed.