SBIR Phase II: Thick Film Garnet Materials for In-Plane Propagation Magnetooptic Devices

该小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段项目致力于平面内传播轻质平面内各向异性磁性石榴石薄膜的设备和市场机会，用于高灵敏度、高速磁光传感器、开关和调制器。传统的垂直传播设备需要垂直磁场和磁化过程。它们在速度和灵敏度上受到当前材料和垂直方向磁化石榴石所需能量的限制。在薄膜平面内，磁区旋转几乎不存在能量势垒。在这个项目中，集成光电子公司(IPI)建议将这一障碍降低到接近零的水平，以制造出具有前所未有的灵敏度和速度的设备。其目标是在传感器和千兆赫设备频率上获得皮特斯拉的场灵敏度。后者将实现小型、低功率磁光调制器，与当前的大尺寸电光技术相比，这确实是一项颠覆性技术。在第一阶段，建立了材料生长和表征能力，并通过优化材料参数消除了对速度和灵敏度的限制。在第二阶段，将对工艺进行优化，以实现商业设备的最高光学质量，并将与客户合作伙伴合作实现传感器、开关和调制器设备。在商业上，平面厚膜法拉第旋转器的平面内传播将实现独特的新设备。高速磁光调制器为宽带通信和软件定义无线电打开了系统集成架构的大门。面内传播材料具有比传统垂直法拉第旋转器高得多的开关速度，因此将允许磁光方法进行分组交换。降低成本将允许在FTTP中广泛部署。高速、低场磁光开关在军事领域具有广阔的应用前景。面内传播磁场传感器可以进行优化，提供前所未有的高灵敏度速度，远远高于传统垂直传播的速度。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。电力应用尤其有可能使电网中的灾难性故障预防发生革命性变化，并通过实现自主重新配置在不同层面上降低电力成本。用于爆炸性、易燃性和高压环境的光纤传感器中没有电连接器，这代表着安全方面的重大改进。智能船舶和建筑将在节约和提高效率方面发挥作用。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project addresses the device and market opportunity for in-plane propagation of light in-planar anisotropy magnetic garnet films for high sensitivity, high speed magneto-optic sensors, switches and modulators. Traditional perpendicular propagation devices require perpendicular magnetic fields and magnetization processes. These are limited in speed and sensitivity by the current materials and the energy required to magnetize the garnet in the perpendicular direction. In the plane of the film, there is almost no energetic barrier to domain rotation. In this project, Integrated Photonics, Inc. (IPI) proposes to reduce that barrier to near zero to make devices of unprecedented sensitivity and speed. The goal is to attain pico-tesla field sensitivities in sensors and gigahertz device frequencies. The latter will enable small, low-power magneto-optic light modulators that are truly a disruptive technology by comparison to current large dimension electro-optic technologies. In Phase I, a materials growth and characterization capability was established and limitations on speed and sensitivity were removed by optimizing material parameters. In Phase II the process will be optimized to achieve the highest optical quality for commercial devices and sensor, switch and modulator devices will be realized in collaboration with customer-partners.Commercially, in-plane propagation in planar thick film Faraday rotators would enable unique new devices. High speed magneto-optic modulators open the door to system integration architecture for wideband communications and software defined radios. In-plane propagation materials have much higher switching speeds than conventional perpendicular Faraday rotators and as such would permit a magneto-optical approach to packet switching. Reduced costs would permit wide deployment in FTTP. High speed, low field magneto-optic switches are attractive for military applications. In-plane propagation magnetic field sensors can be optimized to give unprecedented high sensitivity speeds much higher than can be attained with conventional perpendicular propagation. These sensors would 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 represents a significant improvement in safety. Smart ships and buildings would find utility both for conservation and efficiency.