Photorefractive Inorganic/Organic Materials Prepared by a Novel Sol-Gel Process

摘要

Photorefractive materials represent an important new class of materials with thepotential to (1) reversibly and holographically store digital or analog information and (2) process information in an optical format. A number of polymeric composites have been developed and evaluated in an effort to make materials that have tunable novel performance, are amenable to device construction, and are low cost. The program has culminated with a number of accomplishments including the demonstration of holographic image storage and retrieval, the first use of sol-gel processed ormosils as photorefractive media and the first demonstration that charge traps could be introduced to extend storage times, etc. A number of composites have been shown to be photorefractive using a two beam coupling experiment which distinguishes classical photorefractive processes from a variety of others. The materials developed in Phase II are clearly useful for several applications in information processing, but additional improvements will be necessary if they are to be used in long-term data storage. The development efforts have resulted in a wealth of information for the Defense Department and have enabled the company to solicit Phase III collaborators for continued work in the development of long-term storage materials. jg p1.