Neimule Menke1 and Baoli Yao2

*1School of Physical Science and Technology, Inner Mongolia Universtiy 2State Key Laboratory of Transient Optics and Photonics, Xi'an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences China* 

### **1. Introduction**

144 Holograms – Recording Materials and Applications

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Fulgide is well-known as a thermally irreversible organic photochromic compound [1,2]. It is one of the important materials in the field of optical signal processing and optical storage. Focusing on the holographic storage applications of 3- indoly-benzylfulgimide/PMMA film, in this chapter include the following themes.

In section 2, first the Fulgide, photochroism and photo-induced anisotropy are introduced. Then the spectra and kinetics of the photochromic and photo-induced anisotropic properties of 3-indoly-benzylfulgimide/PMMA film were studied.

In section 3, the applications of ordinary holography and polarization holography of fulgide film were studied, which were respectively based on the photochromic and photo-induced anisotropy properties. The properties of holographic recording such as diffraction efficiency, spatial resolution and optimal exposure were measured.

In section 4, the holographic optical image storage was realized in a 3-indolybenzylfulgimide/PMMA film by using different kinds of holographic storage techniques, e.g., transmission-type holographic recording and reflection-type holographic recording, reference beam reconstruction and phase conjugated beam reconstruction, Fraunhofer holographic recording and Fourier-transform holographic recording, different kinds of polarization holographic recording ( i.e. parallel linear polarization holographic recording, orthogonal linear polarization holographic recording, parallel circular polarization holographic recording and orthogonal circular polarization holographic recording etc.), and collinear holographic storage technology etc. The diffraction efficiencies and diffractive images' signal-to-noise-ratios (SNR) of different kinds of holograms were compared. The storage density of 2×108 bits/cm2 was obtained in the Fourier-transform holographic data storage by using orthogonal polarization holographic recording, which had a greatly improved signal-to-noise ratio of the diffraction image. And different kinds of multiplexing holographic storage (like polarization multiplexing, circumrotation multiplexing and angle multiplexing) and holographic interferometer were realized in the film.

Holographic Image Storage with a 3-Indoly-Benzylfulgimide/PMMA Film 147

which, under the irradiation of polarized light, some isotropic materials will turn to be anisotropic, or the degree of anisotropic properties in some materials will change, this phenomenon is called as the **photo-induced anisotropy** (like shown in Fig.2). Which include the photo-induced dichroism (usually photo-induced anisotropic materials show the

Early in 20th century, Stobbe and Eckert, (Leipzig University, Germany) [1,2] found that the condensation products of succinate and aromatic group of aldehydes, ketones have photochromic property. They stated in their article in 1905 that they named the derivatives of 1,3-butadiene-2,3-dicarboxylic acid and its acid anhydride as "fulgenic acid " and "fulgide", respectively (like shown in Fig.3), after the Latin word "fulgere" (glitter or shine), because some derivatives exhibited a variety of characteristic colors by light, and they

R3

To be photochromic, fulgides should have at least one aromatic ring or heteroaromatic ring (Ar) on the exo-methylene carbon atom, so that they form a 1,3,5-hexatriene structure that

When three of the four substituents are same, the fulgide compounds have two isomers: cisisomer and trans-isomer. According to geometrical shape of the double bond connecting the aromatic ring and succinic acid, they are called as "E-form" And "Z-form" respectively (for example, the isomers of phenyl fulgide are shown in Fig.4). In which, the E-form has an "all cis-hexatriene" structural unit, so it can be photocyclized. When two of the four substituents are same, the fulgide compounds have three isomers: (E,E), (E,Z) and (Z,Z). When the four substituents are different with each other, the fulgide compounds have four isomers: (E,E),

R2

R4

R3 R4

R2

O

O

O

(b)

O

O

(b)

R1 O

properties of uniaxial crystal) and photo-induced birefringence.

**2.3 Fulgide** 

**2.3.1 Structures of fulgides** 

usually formed shiny crystals.

R3

may undergo 6π-electrocyclization.

R3

R2

R4

O

O

Fig. 4. The two isomers of phenyl-fulgide: (a) Z-form; (b) E-form

O

(a)

(E,Z), (Z,E) and (Z,Z).

R2

R4

R1

CO2H

CO2H (a)

Fig. 3. Chemical molecular formula of the fulgenic acid (a) and fulgide (b)
