Figure-of-merit parameter of photorefractive crystals

A comparative study of the photorefractive response of some commonly used ferroelectric, nonferroelectric and semiconducting crystals is presented. The figure-of-merit parameters such as steady-state change in refractive index, response time and photorefractive sensitivity are evaluated for crystals of BaTiO3, LiNbO3, BSO, GaAs and InP on the basis of Kukhtarev's theory, using input parameters from reported data. These parameters are calculated as a function of the grating period with and without an applications of 10 kV/cm electric field. The results indicate that the choice of the ideal material for a given application can be made only after a careful comparison of the figure-of-merit parameters as trade-offs exist among the various parameters for any material. © 2001 SPIE · 1605-7422/01/$15.00.