Photorefractive Polymers for Updatable Holographic Displays

Photorefractive polymers are dynamic holographic recording materials that allow for updating of images. They have been investigated over the last decade and have a wide range of applications including optical correlation, imaging through scattering media, and optical communication. Here, we review the achievement of the first updatable holographic 3D display based on photorefractive polymers and report the fabrication of a 6 x 6 inch 2 display, the largest photorefractive 3D display to date capable of recording and displaying new images every few minutes. The holograms can be viewed for several hours without the need for refreshing, and can be completely erased and updated whenever desired.