State of the art and prospects of photorefractive CdTe

Abstract

The photorefractive properties of CdTe and CdZnTe alloys are reviewed. Firstly, the energy level spectrum of the deep centre vanadium is analyzed from the data brought about by various spectroscopic techniques. Secondly, the photorefractivity parameters as deduced from two-wave-mixing experiments are presented and discussed. The insufficiency of the one-level model is pointed out. Thirdly, a few demonstrations of possible applications in the field of optical detection and processing are briefly reported. In conclusion, the specific features of photorefractivity in Cd(Zn)Te : V crystals are stressed, in comparison with Fe-doped InP, and possible ways of improvement are indicated. © 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.