Organic glasses: new photorefractive materials for holographic data storage

Experimental studies of high density holographic digital data storage in organic photorefractive films are described. The results of experiments involving various photorefractive polymer materials are used to assess the relative importance of various material properties. A new class of organic photorefractive materials composed almost entirely of active chromophore molecules, with no inert polymer host, is introduced. The photorefractive properties of these organic glasses are discussed in relation to holographic storage applications.