Sc:Ru:Fe:LiNbO
3 crystals were grown from congruent melt by using the Czochralski method. A series of LiNbO
3 crystals (Li/Nb = 48.6/51.4) with 0.1 wt% RuO
2, 0.06 wt% Fe
2O
3 and various concentrations of Sc
20
3 were prepared. RF1 and RF4 refers to the samples containing 0 mol% Sc
20
3 and 3 mol% Sc
20
3, respectively. The photorefractive properties of RF4 were measured by
laser (
λ = 476 nm blue light):
ηs = 75.7%,
τw = 11 s,
M/# = 19.52,
S = 2.85 cmJ
−1, Γ = 31.8 cm
−1 and ∆
nmax = 6.66 × 10
−5. The photorefractive properties of five systems (
ηs,
M/#,
S, Γ and ∆
nmax) under 476 nm wavelength from RF1 to RF4 continually increased the response time, while
τw was continually shortened. Comparing the photorefractive properties of Sc (1 mol%):Ru (0.1 wt%):Fe (0.06 wt%): LiNbO
3 measured by
laser (
λ = 476 nm blue light) with Sc (1 mol%):Fe (0.06 wt%):LiNbO
3 measured by He-Ne laser (633 nm red light),
ηs increased by a factor of 1.9,
Vw (response rate) increased by a factor of 13.9,
M/# increased by a factor of 1.8 and S increased by a factor of 32. The ∆n
max improved by a factor of 1.4. A strong blue photorefraction was created by the two-center effect and the remarkable characteristic of being in phase between the two gratings recorded in shallow and deep trap centers. The photorefractive properties (
ηS,
τw, M/#,
S, ∆
nmax) were increased with an increase in Sc
3+ ion concentration. Damage-resistant dopants such as Sc
3+ ions were no longer resistant to damage, but they enhanced the photorefractive properties at the 476 nm wavelength. The experimental results clearly show that Sc-doped two-center Ru:Fe:LiNbO
3 crystal is a promising candidate blue photorefraction material for volume holographic storage. Sc-doped LiNbO
3 crystal can significantly enhance the blue photorefractive properties according to the experimental parameters. Therefore, the Sc:Ru:Fe:LiNbO
3 crystal has better photorefractive properties than the Ru:Fe:LiNbO
3 crystal.
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