We report on fabrication and characterization of two different kinds of optically controlled diffraction gratings realized in soft composite materials. The periodic microstructures have been obtained by combining a photolithographic technique and a chemical etching process. The samples have been infiltrated with two classes of photosensitive materials, and then characterized. The first material is a common azo-dye dissolved in a liquid crystal (LC), while the second one is an azobenzene LC (azo-LC). The response and relaxation times, lifetimes and spectral absorption range of the LC mixtures confined in the microstructures were measured. Detailed comparison of investigated characteristics reveals a better overall performance of the azo-LC based sample.