Self-trapping of planar optical beams by use of the photorefractive effect in InP:Fe

We demonstrate what we believe to be the first experimental observation of self-trapping and self-deflection of a planar optical beam by the photorefractive effect in a semiconductor. The semiconductor material is indium phosphide doped with iron. We show that the observed focusing and defocusing effects follow the component of the two-wave-mixing space charge field that is in phase with the intensity pattern, whereas the spatial beam deflection effects follow the 90 degrees -shifted component.