Abstract

Holographic studies in azobenzene side-chain polymers reveal light-induced periodic surface reliefs at temperatures far below the glass transition temperature. We performed experiments with two-color holography on an azobenzene polymer. An intensive and linear polarized homogeneous blue pump beam illuminated the sample, and two red beams—outside the trans-azobenzene absorption—were used to inscribe the grating. A surface relief was obtained only with the pump beam on and only if its polarization was perpendicular to the writing beams. The findings are discussed in the frame of a recent mean-field model.

© 2001 Optical Society of America

Diffraction from polarization holographic gratings with surface relief in side-chain azobenzene polyesters

I. Naydenova, L. Nikolova, T. Todorov, N. C. R. Holme, P. S. Ramanujam, and S. Hvilsted
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 15(4) 1257-1265 (1998)

Polarization holographic and surface-relief gratings at 257 nm in an amorphous azobenzene polyester

P. S. Ramanujam, L. Nedelchev, and A. Matharu
Opt. Lett. 28(13) 1072-1074 (2003)

Diffraction efficiency increase by corona discharge in photoinduced surface-relief gratings on an azo polymer film

Katsuhiro Munakata, Kenji Harada, Hitoshi Anji, Masahide Itoh, Toyohiko Yatagai, and Shinsuke Umegaki
Opt. Lett. 26(1) 4-6 (2001)

Photoinduced anisotropy measurements in liquid-crystalline azobenzene side-chain polyesters

N. C. R. Holme, P. S. Ramanujam, and S. Hvilsted
Appl. Opt. 35(23) 4622-4627 (1996)

Holographic reflection gratings in azobenzene polymers

H. J. Eichler, S. Orlic, R. Schulz, and J. Rübner
Opt. Lett. 26(9) 581-583 (2001)