Hf, Ce and Cu co-doped LiNbO 3 crystals with various level of Hf doping were grown in air by a conventional Cz method. The infrared spectra were measured to discuss the defect structures and the mechanism of the absorption peak shift in these crystals. The light-induced scattering of the crystals was evaluated by the transmitted light method. The influence of the Hf-doping level on the photorefractive properties of Hf, Ce and Cu co-doped LiNbO 3 crystals was studied via two-beam coupling. It is found that proper doping Hf is an efficient method to enhance the comprehensive photorefractive properties of the LiNbO 3 . Using one of these crystals as medium, 200holograms storage and correlation experiments based on angle fractal multiplexing have been realized in a coherent volume 0.073cm 3 . Moreover the diffraction efficiency is uniform and the storage density has reached 2.2Gb/cm 3 .