Reversible recording of holograms in glassy chalcogenide semiconductors at elevated temperatures

An investigation was made of the influence of temperature on the optical properties of plane-parallel plates (0.2–0.8 mm thick) of glassy arsenic sulfide. At elevated temperatures, close to the glass-transition temperature (180°C), the hologram-recording properties of this material improved considerably: the parameters were found to be stable in reversible recording, the maximum possible diffraction efficiency increased to ~50%, and the sensitivity of the plates to the radiation became greater (the hologram recording time fell to several seconds). It was found possible to record information in real time and to read holograms nondestructively in As₂S₃ plates with the same He–Ne laser beam (632.8 nm).