Holographic grating generation in thick polymer films containing azo dye molecules

The relationship between laser-induced birefringence in azo-dye-doped polymer films and the diffraction properties from holographic gratings were investigated under several experimental conditions. The diffraction properties, including writing power and film thickness dependence, were well-explained by estimating the diffraction efficiencies from characteristics of laser-induced birefringence and Fraunhofer's diffraction theory.