The results of investigations of two- and three-wave mixing in thin holograms are presented. A spatial light modulator fabricated from a Bi12SiO20 (or BSO) crystal was used as a photosensitive medium for holographic recording. It was found experimentally that mixing can take place between higher-order diffracted beams, a phenomenon which uniquely characterizes thin holograms. The necessary theoretical analysis underlying the wave mixing for two specific orientations of the BSO crystal has been developed. We have found qualitative agreement between theory and experiments and concluded that the modulator can be used as an efficient medium for adaptive interferometric techniques.

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