Holographic characterization of epoxy resins at 351.1 nm

The optical characteristics of two commercially available UV curable epoxy resins are investigated using nondegenerate four-wave mixing. The materials assessed are optimized for use with a UV argonion laser. The holographic gratings were written at a wavelength of ? 5351.1 nm for an irradiance range 0.5 to 3.0 W/cm2 and read at ? 5632.8 nm to compare the reactivity, curing speed, shrinkage, and resolution of the resins. These experiments were carried out to prove the suitability of the photopolymerization systems for microstereolithography.