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The photoinduced birefringence induced by a femtosecond laser through two-photon absorption was studied in bulk azodye-doped hybrid inorganic–organic materials. The probe transmittance for the induced birefringence was estimated to be 92% after irradiating disperse red 1-doped silica materials with the femtosecond writing beam. The relaxation characteristic of the induced birefringence was also investigated. Although the signal decay process was fast, these photoinduced birefringence materials might have wide applications in optical image storage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]