Collaborative Research: Planar Magnetic Photonic Crystals

密歇根理工大学（MTU）和西南德克萨斯州立大学（SWT）之间的这个合作项目的重点是在磁性氧化物中制造和测试波导光子晶体，用于新型集成光子器件原型。该项目响应了人们对基于其独特的光学带隙特性的光子晶体器件应用日益增长的兴趣。虽然已经在非磁性介质中制造了各种新颖的光学带隙结构，用于高效的波导，滤波和谐振器应用，但在磁性系统中的光子晶体上做的工作很少，并且在单片平面磁光子晶体上没有工作。本计画将著重于以电子束图案化铁氧波导上磁性光子晶体，以应用于新一代的整合式光隔离器元件。磁性氧化物的非互易特性，如钇铁石榴石（YIG），使这些材料成为光隔离器和环行器制造的独特选择。光纤通信已经发展到这样的程度，即不同光学部件的单片集成是降低局域网和长距离数据传输成本的一个严重问题。然而，利用非平面几何形状的常规系统既笨重又昂贵。光子晶体结构提供了一种新的替代方案来解决这个问题，因为它们可以显着增强法拉第响应，使其有可能建立更小，更便宜的隔离器和环行器，一个超越目前正在探索的集成隔离器类型的一代。拟议的计划将集中在射频溅射铋取代YIG薄膜上的图案化脊波导的制造，特别强调通过最小化双折射来实现上级光学隔离。它还将探索平顶传输设备的制造。通过在芯片上建立磁性光子晶体的实际实现，该项目还将有助于开发光学滤波器、用于磁光记录的高效克尔反射器和模式转换器。

This collaborative project between Michigan Technological University (MTU) and Southwest Texas State University (SWT) focuses on the fabrication and testing of waveguide photonic crystals in magnetic oxides for novel integrated photonic device prototyping. The project responds to the growing interest in photonic crystals for device applications based on their unique optical band gap properties. While various novel optical band gap structures have been fabricated in non-magnetic dielectric media for highly efficient waveguiding, filtering and resonator applications, very little work has been done on photonic crystals in magnetic systems and no work exists on monolithic planar magnetophotonic crystals. This project will focus on the electron-beam patterning of magnetic photonic crystals on ferrite waveguides for a new generation of integrated optical isolator devices. The non-reciprocal properties of magnetic oxides, such as yttrium iron garnet (YIG), make these materials a unique choice for optical isolator and circulator fabrication. Optical fiber telecommunications have developed to the point where the monolithic integration of different optical components is a serious issue to reduce costs in local area networks and long-distance data transmittal. However, conventional systems utilizing non-planar geometries are both bulky and expensive. Photonic crystal structures provide a novel alternative to address this problem since they can significantly enhance the Faraday response, making it possible to build smaller and cheaper isolators and circulators, a generation beyond the types of integrated isolators being explored at present. The proposed program will concentrate on the fabrication of patterned ridge waveguides on rf-sputtered bismuth-substituted YIG films, with special emphasis on achieving superior optical isolation by minimizing birefringence. It will also explore the fabrication of flat top transmission devices. By establishing the practical implementation of magnetic photonic crystals on chip, the project will also contribute to the development of optical filters, highly efficient Kerr reflectors for magneto-optic recording and mode converters.