Abstract

Permanent reversible diffraction gratings with refractive-index modulations of up to 10^-4 and with a grating vector perpendicular to the polar axis are realized in doped LiNbO₃ crystals by making use of high-temperature recording and charge compensation. The index changes do not result from light-induced space-charge fields and the linear electro-optic effect. They are linked to fixed high-contrast absorption gratings of filled and empty electron traps, e.g. Cu⁺ and Cu²⁺ ions, via the Kramers-Kronig relations.

© 2005 Optical Society of America