Photorefraction of molybdenum-doped lithium niobate crystals

Molybdenum-doped lithium niobate crystals were grown under different polarization conditions and their holographic properties were investigated. In contrast to current dopants, hexavalent molybdenum prefers niobium sites. Thereby, holographic storage becomes possible from the ultraviolet to the visible with considerably lower response time. The response time of 0.5 mol. % Mo-doped LiNbO(3) can be especially shortened to as small as 0.35 s with a still high saturation diffraction efficiency of about 60% at 351 nm. Molybdenum-doped lithium niobate thus is a promising candidate for all-color holographic storage applications.