SBIR Phase II: Thick Film Planar Magnetooptic Garnet Faraday Rotators

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段的研究项目解决了厚磁光石榴石法拉第旋转器薄膜与平面各向异性在近红外操作的设备和市场机会。磁场和电磁场传感器可以在包括800 nm、1310 nm和1550 nm波段在内的各种近红外波长下开发。与电流互感器等现有技术相比，这些传感器的成本更低，尺寸更小，重量更轻。它们有可能通过故障预测和通过监测和控制预防和保护电力，对电力分配的可靠性产生直接影响。平面材料具有比常规垂直法拉第旋转器高得多的切换速度，并且因此将允许磁光方法来分组切换。这种薄膜是一种创新的解决方案，需要高速，连续变化的偏振旋转与应用领域的设备问题。该项目将致力于改善这种厚平面薄膜的特性和性能，并将其纳入设备。具体的材料任务是提高灵敏度、线性度和工作温度范围。如果成功的话，这些传感器将应用于车轮和涡轮机旋转、电力分配、监测、计量和控制以及战场传感器。 电力应用特别具有通过实现自主重新配置来彻底改变电网中的灾难性故障预防并在各种级别上降低电力成本的潜力。用于爆炸性、易燃性和高压环境的光纤传感器中缺少电连接器代表了安全性的显著提高。目前还不能实现的新的光子器件将能够用于电信和军事应用，如可变光衰减器，偏振控制器和高速磁光开关。光子器件包括偏振控制器、可变光衰减器、开关和新的创新器件。智能船舶和建筑物将在节约和效率方面发挥作用。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II research project addresses the device and market opportunity for thick magnetooptic garnet Faraday rotator films with planar anisotropy to be operated in the near infrared. Magnetic and electromagnetic field sensors could be developed at a variety of near-infrared wavelengths including the 800 nm, 1310 nm and 1550 nm bands. These sensors can be made much less expensively, in much smaller sizes and with much less weight than current technologies such as current transformers. They have a potential for immediate impact in reliability of electric power distribution through failure anticipation and prevention and conservation of electric power through monitoring and control. Planar materials have much higher switching speeds than conventional perpendicular Faraday rotators and as such would permit a magnetooptical approach to packet switching. Such films are an innovative solution to device problems that require high-speed, continuously-varying polarization rotation with applied field. The project will work on improving properties and performance of such thick planar films and incorporate them into devices. Specific materials tasks are directed to improving sensitivity, linearity and temperature range of operation.If successful these sensors will have applications such as wheel and turbine rotation, electric power distribution, monitoring, metering and control, and battlefield sensors. The electric power application in particular has potential to revolutionize catastrophic failure prevention in the power grid and reduce power costs at a variety of levels by enabling autonomous reconfiguration. The lack of electrical connectors in fiber optic sensors for explosive, flammable and high-voltage environments represent a significant improvement in safety. New photonic devices not currently realizable will be enabled for telecommunications and military applications such as variable optical attenuators, polarization controllers and increased speed magnetooptic switches. Photonic devices include polarization controllers, variable optical attenuators, switches and new innovative devices. Smart ships and buildings would find utility both for conservation and efficiency.