Manganese-doped yttrium orthoaluminate: A potential material for holographic recording and data storage

Optical properties of manganese-doped yttrium orthoaluminate crystals (Mn:YAlO{sub 3}), grown by the Czochralski technique, are reported. Luminescence and absorption spectra indicate the presence of Mn{sup 4+} ions in as-grown crystals, and Mn{sup 3+}, Mn{sup 4+}, and Mn{sup 5+} ions simultaneously in photoexcited crystals. A permanent diffraction grating, erasable by heating, was obtained in the crystals with diffraction efficiency of more than 50{percent} at 514.5 nm reading wavelength and 1{endash}2{percent} in 632{endash}930 nm wavelength range. Reading at wavelengths longer than 630 nm did not damage the recorded grating. The electro-optical effect observed in the photoexcited crystals implies that manganese ions disturb the YAlO{sub 3} crystal structure so that it becomes noncentrosymmetric. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}