Surface relief grating recording in azobenzene epoxy films

Abstract

In this work the direct one step formation of surface relief gratings (SRG) in azo-epoxy polymer films during holographic recording was studied. In this material azo-compound is covalently attached to epoxy forming polymer. The main advantages of azo-epoxy polymers are simple and cheap synthesis, low polymerization degree, thus the photo-induced mass transport process has been facilitated. The dependence of SRG formation efficiency in AAB:BADGE films on sample preparation conditions, film content, recording parameters and possibility of reversible recording and SRG self-enhancement process was studied.