Abstract
The advent of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers and the promise of fiber-to-the-home have intensified the search for improved, low cost magneto-optic (MO) isolators. Isolators for use in these and other high performance lightwave communications systems are now made with bulk crystals or thick epitaxial films of modified yttrium iron garnet (YIG). For two decades it has been known that these same magnetic garnets in thin film form can act as optical waveguides with excellent transparency and large Faraday rotation coefficients at the relevant wavelengths. In isolators and other MO devices such as circulators, switches and modulators, these thin film waveguides offer the advantages of ease and versatility of epitaxial crystal growth, low bias field requirement, single-guided-mode operation with no need for lenses and difficult alignment procedures, compatibility with integrated optics, and the promise of much lower cost.
© 1992 Optical Society of America
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