Doped photopolymers for volume holographic applications

Abstract

We fabricate two phenanthrenequinone-doped copolymers which can improve the holographic recording characteristics of phenanthrenequinone-doped poly(methyl-methacrylate) (PQ/PMMA) photopolymer. In these materials, the polymer matrix of PQ/PMMA is modified to be copolymers, which composed of either poly(methyl-methacrylate-co-trimethylolpropane-triacrylate) or poly(methyl-methacrylate-co-acrylic acid 2-phenoxyethyl ester), respectively. With the chemical analyses of these materials before and after light exposure, we investigate the physical mechanism of the holographic recording in those copolymer samples. In addition, the holographic characteristics of different samples, including dynamic range and sensitivity, have been measured. These experimental results demonstrate that modification of the monomers is an efficient method to improve the material properties.