Plastic recording media for holography at 10.6 microm

A search for recording media suitable for holography at wavelengths comparable to the 10.6 microm of a CO(2) laser has led to the successful use of Saran Wrap plastic films and of thick acrylic plates. Holographic phase recording has been made with a 1-W single mode cw CO(2) laser yielding incident intensities up to 3.5 W/cm(2). Holographic reconstruction at a wavelength of 632.8 nm has given a diffraction efficiency up to 20%. At a wavelength of 10.6 microm, reconstruction by reflection on the silver-coated surface of an acrylic plate had a diffraction efficiency of 0.5%. It was observed that the recording is less linear on acrylic plates than on Saran Wrap films.