Organic photorefractive materials and applications

Abstract

This review describes recent advances and applications in the field of organic photorefractive materials, an interesting area in the field of organic electronics and promising candidate for various aspects of photonic applications. We describe the current state of knowledge about the processes involved in the formation of photorefractive gratings in organic materials and focus on the chemical and photo-physical aspects of the material structures employed in low glass-transition temperature amorphous composites and organic photorefractive glasses. State-of-the art materials are highlighted and recent demonstrations of photonic applications relying on the reversible holographic nature of the photorefractive materials are discussed. Organic photorefractive materials are rewritable media capable of storing holograms as light induced refractive index change. This review compares material approaches to the photorefractive effect and provides an overview on recent developments with emphasis on organic polymer composites and low-molecular weight glasses. Applications based on the unique properties of organic photorefractive materials are introduced and discussed. © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.