Holographic Grating Formation in Cationic Photopolymers with Dark Reaction

We propose a new formula to describe the dynamics of holographic grating formation under low intensity pulse exposures in cationic photopolymers, in which the dark reaction contributes dominantly to the grating strength. The formula is based on the living polymerization mechanism and the diffusion-free approximation. The analytical solution indicates that the grating formation time depends on the termination rate constant, while the final grating strength depends linearly on the total exposure energy. These theoretical predictions are verified experimentally using the Aprilis HMC-400μm photopolymer. The results can provide guidelines for the control and optimization of the holographic recording conditions in practical applications.