Enhanced Photorefractive Holographic Storage Performance in Zn:Fe:Cu:LiNbO 3 Crystals via [Li]/[Nb] Ratio Modulation

The growing demand for ultrahigh-capacity data storage driven by multimedia advancements has outpaced conventional systems in density and transfer efficiency. Photorefractive LiNbO 3 -based holography offers a viable solution for next-generation storage. Herein, Zn:Fe:Cu:LiNbO 3 crystals with [Li]/[Nb] ratios spanning 0.946–1.38 were synthesized via Czochralski growth, each uniformly doped with 1 mol% Zn[Formula: see text], Fe[Formula: see text] and Cu[Formula: see text] ions. Defect structures were characterized by XRD and IR spectroscopy, while dual-wavelength coupling experiments quantified holographic performance. Results demonstrated a direct correlation between [Li]/[Nb] ratios and enhanced memory metrics. Notably, at a [Li]/[Nb] ratio of 1.38, the system attained optimal performance, including a response time of 98.19 s, dynamic range of 14.22, saturation diffraction efficiency of 68.4% and sensitivity of 2.11, fulfilling critical benchmarks for volume holographic storage. This work pioneers [Li]/[Nb] ratio-driven photorefractive enhancement in Zn:Fe:Cu:LiNbO 3 , underscoring its viability for high-performance holographic applications.