The congruent Ce(0.1%):Cu(0.2%):LN crystals doped with different concentrations of 0, 2.0 and 4.0 mol% HfO2 were grown by the Czochralski method. Inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and the infrared (IR) spectrum were measured and are discussed in terms of the spectroscopic characterization. The nonvolatile holographic storage properties of Hf:Ce:Cu:LN crystals were experimentally studied using the two-color holographic recording method. The results indicated that the codoping with Hf eliminated undesirable intrinsic traps, which strongly enhanced the charge transition speed. As the doping concentration of Hf increased, the fixed diffraction efficiency decreased, but the holographic response time and photorefractive sensitivity improved. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.