Photoquenching of DX‐like defects in heavily doped AlSb:Se is used to write persistent volume absorption holograms. Read‐out diffraction efficiencies of ∼0.5% were observed in samples 280 μm thick. The optical gratings are metastable, and semipermanent at liquid nitrogen temperatures, and are reversibly erased by heating the crystal above 140 K. The activation energy of regeneration of the stable DX state is obtained by measuring the decay times of the diffracted signal for temperatures between 100 and 116 K. We obtain a regeneration energy of 180 meV. Larger regeneration energies are important for eventual application of this material class to holographic optical memories.

Topics
Diffraction, Optical storage systems, Holography, Chemical elements
1.
D. D.
Nolte,
D. H.
Olson
, and
A. M.
Glass,
Phys. Rev. B
40
,
10650
(
1989
).
Google Scholar
 
2.
D. D. Nolte and R. S. Rana, in Proceedings of 20th International Physics Semiconductors (World Scientific, Singapore, 1990), p. 2247.
3.
R. A.
Linke,
T.
Thio,
J.
Chadi
, and
G. E.
Devlin,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
65
,
16
(
1994
).
Google Scholar
 
4.
R. L.
MacDonald,
R. A.
Linke,
J. D.
Chadi,
T.
Thio,
G. E.
Devlin
, and
P.
Becla,
Opt. Lett.
19
,
2131
(
1994
).
Google Scholar
 
5.
D. D. Nolte, in Photorefractive Effects and Materials, edited by D. D. Nolte (Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht, 1995), Chap. 1.
6.
P.
Becla,
A.
Witt,
J.
Lagowski
, and
W.
Walukiewicz,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
67
,
395
(
1995
).
Google Scholar
 
7.
P. M.
Mooney,
J. Appl. Phys.
67
,
R1
(
1990
).
Google Scholar
 
8.
D. D.
Nolte,
D. H.
Olson
, and
A. M.
Glass,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
56
,
163
(
1990
).
Google Scholar
 
9.
D. D.
Nolte
and
A. M.
Glass,
Opt. Quantum Electron.
22
,
S47
(
1990
).
Google Scholar
 
10.
R. S.
Rana,
D. D.
Nolte,
R.
Steldt
, and
E. M.
Monberg,
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B
9
,
1614
(
1992
).
Google Scholar
 
11.
D. V. Lang, in Thermally Stimulated Relaxation in Solids, edited by Braunlich (Springer, Berlin, 1979), p. 109.
12.
Q. N.
Wang,
R. M.
Brubaker,
D. D.
Nolte
, and
M. R.
Melloch,
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B
9
,
1626
(
1992
).
Google Scholar
 
This content is only available via PDF.
© 1996 American Institute of Physics.
1996
American Institute of Physics
You do not currently have access to this content.