Photochromic effect in near-stoichiometric LiNbO₃ and two-color holographic recording

We have observed that newly developed near-stoichiometric LiNbO₃ crystals have three different types of energy levels: ultraviolet (UV) absorption centers just above the valence band, metastable shallow electron traps slightly below the conduction band, and deep traps located about 1.9 eV below the conduction band. Irradiation with UV light induced a stable absorption band extending from λ ≈ 650 nm to the absorption edge, which is caused by the photoinduced charge transfer from UV-sensitive absorption centers to deep traps via the conduction band. The electron lifetimes at shallow and deep traps could be controlled by doping elements and concentrations. Based on these favorable energy states, nonvolatile two-color holographic recording has been carried out by use of 852 nm recording beams and UV gating light. Nonvolatile readout by a single 852 nm beam was demonstrated for several hours. It was found that two-color recording from the pre-exposed, colored state can also be an attractive way of achieving nonvolatile readout. In this article, we investigate the photochromic effect observed in near-stoichiometric LiNbO₃ and its use in two-color holographic recording.