Quickly Updatable Hologram Images Using Poly(<em>N</em>-vinyl Carbazole) (PVCz) Photorefractive Polymer Composite

• Main Authors: Wataru Sakai, Asato Nonomura, Kenji Kinashi, Naoto Tsutsumi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2012-08-01
• Series: Materials
• Subjects: photorefractive polymer; 3D holographic display; poly(<em>N</em>-vinyl carbazole) composite
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/5/8/1477

Quickly updatable hologram images using photorefractive (PR) polymer composite based on poly(<em>N</em>-vinyl carbazole) (PVCz) is presented. PVCz is one of the pioneer materials of photoconductive polymers. PR polymer composite consists of 44 wt % of PVCz, 35 wt % of 4-azacycloheptylbenzylidene-malonitrile (7-DCST) as a nonlinear optical dye, 20 wt % of carbazolylethylpropionate (CzEPA) as a photoconductive plasticizer and 1 wt % of 2,4,7-trinitro-9-fluorenone (TNF) as a sensitizer. PR composite gives high diffraction efficiency of 68% at E = 45 V μm<sup>−1</sup>. Response speed of optical diffraction is the key parameter for real-time 3D holographic display. The key parameter for obtaining quickly updatable holographic images is to control the glass transition temperature lower enough to enhance chromophore orientation. Object image of the reflected coin surface recorded with reference beam at 532 nm (green beam) in the PR polymer composite is simultaneously reconstructed using a red probe beam at 642 nm. Instead of using a coin object, an object image produced by a computer was displayed on a spatial light modulator (SLM) and used for the hologram. The reflected object beam from an SLM was interfered with a reference beam on PR polymer composite to record a hologram and simultaneously reconstructed by a red probe beam.