Polarization holographic gratings with surface relief in amorphous azobenzene containing methacrylic copolymers

Two types of high-efficiency amorphous methacrylic azobenzene polymer for reversible holographic storage are synthesized. It is shown that their efficiency is due to both photoinduced linear birefringence and surface relief. The contributions of these two effects on the diffraction efficiency of the holographic gratings are separated using the methods of polarization holography and it is found that they are strongly influenced by the differences in the chemical structure of the polymers. It is shown that higher relief corresponds to stronger coupling between the azobenzene side chains and the main chains of the polymer molecules.