Magneto-Optical Thin Films for On-Chip Monolithic Integration of Non-Reciprocal Photonic Devices

Analytical solution to electromagnetic wave transport in planar magneto-optical waveguide: modal dispersion, coupling, and nonreciprocal flow

The magneto-optical (MO) materials are essential for designing nonreciprocal devices, like isolators and circulators. Even though the study of MO effect has a long history, the recent works of fabricating nonreciprocal nanostructures, novel MO metamaterials, and topological photonics have garnered significant attention in both theoretical and experimental research of MO materials. In this work, we consider the planar MO waveguide mode. By setting the general form of the fields and utilizing the boundary conditions, the analytical solution of MO modes is obtained. We have shown the potential of such effective solution in analyzing the dispersions and transport behaviors of MO modes in the waveguide. Crossings and avoided crossings of modes will happen, which may due to the strong coupling of TE and TM modes in the waveguide. Faraday rotation can be observed during the propagation of MO modes and the energy flow will precess in the waveguide. These results can be applied in predicting the evolution of the modes in MO waveguides, which has potential in designing MO nonreciprocal devices.

Bulk Plasmon Polariton Modes in Hyperbolic Metamaterials for Giant Enhancement of the Transverse Magneto-Optical Kerr Effect

We demonstrate a concept for the giant enhancement of the transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect (TMOKE) using bulk plasmon polariton (BPP) modes in non-magnetic multilayer hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs). Since the BPP modes are excited through the attenuated total reflection (ATR) mechanism, using a Si-based prism-coupler, we considered a single dielectric magneto-optical (MO) spacer between the prism and the HMM. The working wavelength was estimated, using the effective medium approach for a semi-infinite dielectric-plasmonic multilayer, considering the region where the system exhibits type II HMM dispersion relations. Analytical results, by means of the scattering matrix method (SMM), were used to explain the physical principle behind our concept. Numerical results for giant TMOKE values (close to their maximum theoretical values, ±1) were obtained using the finite element method (FEM), applying the commercial software COMSOL Multiphysics. Our proposal comprises a simple and experimentally feasible structure that enables the study of MO phenomena in HMMs, which may find application in future nanostructured magnetoplasmonic metamaterials for active nanophotonic devices.

Silicon-Based All-Dielectric Metasurface on an Iron Garnet Film for Efficient Magneto-Optical Light Modulation in Near IR Range

All-dielectric nanostructures provide a unique low-loss platform for efficiently increasing light-matter interaction via excitation of the localized or propagating optical modes. Here, we report on the transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect enhancement in an all-dielectric metasurface based on a two-dimensional array of Si nanodisks on a cerium substituted dysprosium iron garnet thin film. We observed up to 15% light intensity modulation under TM modes excitation. The observed magneto-optical effect is nearly independent of the rotation of the light incidence plane with respect to the metasurface. Being compatible with conventional semiconductor technology, our structure holds promise for device applications, such as light modulators, magnetic and chemical sensors.

Toward Lossless Infrared Optical Trapping of Small Nanoparticles Using Nonradiative Anapole Modes

A challenge in plasmonic trapping of small nanoparticles is the heating due to the Joule effect of metallic components. This heating can be avoided with electromagnetic field confinement in high-refractive-index materials, but nanoparticle trapping is difficult because the electromagnetic fields are mostly confined inside the dielectric nanostructures. Herein, we present the design of an all-dielectric platform to capture small dielectric nanoparticles without heating the nanostructure. It consists of a Si nanodisk engineered to exhibit the second-order anapole mode at the infrared regime (λ=980  nm), where Si has negligible losses, with a slot at the center. A strong electromagnetic hot spot is created, thus allowing us to capture nanoparticles as small as 20 nm. The numerical calculations indicate that optical trapping in these all-dielectric nanostructures occurs without heating only in the infrared, since for visible wavelengths the heating levels are similar to those in plasmonic nanostructures.

Scalable Production of Boron Quantum Dots for Broadband Ultrafast Nonlinear Optical Performance

A simple and effective approach based on the liquid phase exfoliation (LPE) method has been put forward for synthesizing boron quantum dots (BQDs). By adjusting the interactions between bulk boron and various solvents, the average diameter of produced BQDs is about 7 nm. The nonlinear absorption (NLA) responses of as-prepared BQDs have been systematically studied at 515 nm and 1030 nm. Experimental results prove that BQDs possess broadband saturable absorption (SA) and good third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility, which are comparable to graphene. The fast relaxation time and slow relaxation time of BQDs at 515 nm and 1030 nm are about 0.394–5.34 ps and 4.45–115 ps, respectively. The significant ultrafast nonlinear optical properties can be used in optical devices. Here, we successfully demonstrate all-optical diode application based on BQDs/ReS₂ tandem structure. The findings are essential for understanding the nonlinear optical properties in BQDs and open a new pathway for their applications in optical devices.

Photocrosslinking and photopatterning of magneto-optical nanocomposite sol-gel thin film under deep-UV irradiation

This paper is aimed at investigating the process of photocrosslinking under Deep-UV irradiation of nanocomposite thin films doped with cobalt ferrite magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). This material is composed of a hybrid sol-gel matrix in which MNP can be introduced with high concentrations up to 20 vol%. Deep-UV (193 nm) is not only interesting for high-resolution patterning but we also show an efficient photopolymerization pathway even in the presence of high concentration of MNPs. In this study, we demonstrate that the photocrosslinking is based on the free radical polymerization of the methacrylate functions of the hybrid precursor. This process is initiated by Titanium-oxo clusters. The impact of the nanoparticles on the photopolymerization kinetic and photopatterning is investigated. We finally show that the photosensitive nanocomposite is suitable to obtain micropatterns with sub-micron resolution, with a simple and versatile process, which opens many opportunities for fabrication of miniaturized magneto-optical devices for photonic applications.

Optical isolation using microring modulators

Optical isolators, while commonplace in bulk and fiber optical systems, remain a key missing component in integrated photonics. Isolation using magneto-optic materials has been difficult to integrate into complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) fabrication platforms, motivating the use of other paths to effective non-reciprocity such as temporal modulation. We demonstrate a non-reciprocal element comprising a pair of microring modulators and a microring phase shifter in an active silicon photonic process, which, in combination with standard bandpass filters, yields an isolator on-chip. Isolation up to 13 dB is measured with a 3 dB bandwidth of 2 GHz and insertion loss of 18 dB. We also show transmission of a 4 Gbps optical data signal through the isolator while retaining a wide-open eye diagram. This compact design, in combination with increased modulation efficiency, could enable modulator-based isolators to become a standard 'black-box' component in integrated photonics CMOS foundry platform component libraries.

High-Refractive-Index Materials for Giant Enhancement of the Transverse Magneto-Optical Kerr Effect

The ability of plasmonic structures to confine and enhance light at nanometer length scales has been traditionally exploited to boost the magneto-optical effects in magneto-plasmonic structures. These platforms allows for light control via externally applied magnetic fields, which is of prime importance for sensing, data storage, optical-isolation, and telecommunications applications. However, applications are hindered by the high-level of ohmic losses associated to metallic and ferromagnetic components. Here, we use a lossless all-dielectric platform for giant enhancement of the magneto-optical effects. Our structure consists of a high-refractive index dielectric film on top of a magnetic dielectric substrate. We numerically demonstrate an extraordinarily enhanced transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect due to the Fabry–Perot resonances supported by the high-refractive index slab. Potential applications for sensing and biosensing are also illustrated in this work.

Application-Specific Oxide-Based and Metal-Dielectric Thin-Film Materials Prepared by Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering

We report on the development of several different thin-film functional material systems prepared by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering at Edith Cowan University nanofabrication labs. While focusing on the RF sputtering process optimizations for new or the previously underexplored material compositions and multilayer structures, we disclose several unforeseen material properties and behaviours. Among these are an unconventional magnetic hysteresis loop with an intermediate saturation state observed in garnet trilayers, and an ultrasensitive magnetic switching behaviour in garnet-oxide composites (GOC). We also report on the unusually high thermal exposure stability observed in some nanoengineered metal–dielectric multilayers. We communicate research results related to the design, prototyping, and practical fabrication of high-performance magneto-optic (MO) materials, oxide-based sensor components, and heat regulation coatings for advanced construction and solar windows.

Advances in synthetic gauge fields for light through dynamic modulation

Photons are weak particles that do not directly couple to magnetic fields. However, it is possible to generate a photonic gauge field by breaking reciprocity such that the phase of light depends on its direction of propagation. This non-reciprocal phase indicates the presence of an effective magnetic field for the light itself. By suitable tailoring of this phase, it is possible to demonstrate quantum effects typically associated with electrons, and, as has been recently shown, non-trivial topological properties of light. This paper reviews dynamic modulation as a process for breaking the time-reversal symmetry of light and generating a synthetic gauge field, and discusses its role in topological photonics, as well as recent developments in exploring topological photonics in higher dimensions.

Giant Faraday Rotation in Metal-Fluoride Nanogranular Films

Magneto-optical Faraday effect is widely applied in optical devices and is indispensable for optical communications and advanced information technology. However, the bismuth garnet Bi-YIG is only the Faraday material since 1972. Here we introduce (Fe, FeCo)-(Al-,Y-fluoride) nanogranular films exhibiting giant Faraday effect, 40 times larger than Bi-YIG. These films have a nanocomposite structure, in which nanometer-sized Fe, FeCo ferromagnetic granules are dispersed in a Al,Y-fluoride matrix.

Broadband nonvolatile photonic switching based on optical phase change materials: beyond the classical figure-of-merit

In this Letter, we propose a broadband, nonvolatile on-chip switch design in the telecommunication C-band with record low loss and crosstalk. The unprecedented device performance builds on: 1) a new optical phase change material (O-PCM) Ge₂Sb₂Se₄Te₁ (GSST), which exhibits significantly reduced optical attenuation compared to traditional O-PCMs, and 2) a nonperturbative design that enables low-loss device operation beyond the classical figure-of-merit (FOM) limit. We further demonstrate that the 1-by-2 and 2-by-2 switches can serve as basic building blocks to construct nonblocking and nonvolatile on-chip switching fabric supporting arbitrary numbers of input and output ports.

Optical and magneto-optical behavior of Cerium Yttrium Iron Garnet thin films at wavelengths of 200-1770 nm

Magneto-optical cerium-substituted yttrium iron garnet (Ce:YIG) thin films display Faraday and Kerr rotation (rotation of light polarisation upon transmission and reflection, respectively) as well as a nonreciprocal phase shift due to their non-zero off-diagonal permittivity tensor elements, and also possess low optical absorption in the near-infrared. These properties make Ce:YIG useful in providing nonreciprocal light propagation in integrated photonic circuits, which is essential for accomplishing energy-efficient photonic computation and data transport architectures. In this study, 80 nm-thick Ce:YIG films were grown on Gadolinium Gallium Garnet substrates with (100), (110) and (111) orientations using pulsed laser deposition. The films had bulk-like structural and magnetic quality. Faraday and Kerr spectroscopies along with spectroscopic ellipsometry were used to deduce the complete permittivity tensor of the films in the ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared spectral region, and the magneto-optical figure of merit as a function of wavelength was determined. The samples showed the highest IR Faraday rotation reported for thin films of Ce:YIG, which indicates the importance of this material in development of nonreciprocal photonic devices.

Properties of Exchange Coupled All-garnet Magneto-Optic Thin Film Multilayer Structures

The effects of exchange coupling on magnetic switching properties of all-garnet multilayer thin film structures are investigated. All-garnet structures are fabricated by sandwiching a magneto-soft material of composition type Bi_1.8Lu_1.2Fe_3.6Al_1.4O₁₂ or Bi₃Fe₅O₁₂:Dy₂O₃ in between two magneto-hard garnet material layers of composition type Bi₂Dy₁Fe₄Ga₁O₁₂ or Bi₂Dy₁Fe₄Ga₁O₁₂:Bi₂O₃. The fabricated RF magnetron sputtered exchange-coupled all-garnet multilayers demonstrate a very attractive combination of magnetic properties, and are of interest for emerging applications in optical sensors and isolators, ultrafast nanophotonics and magneto-plasmonics. An unconventional type of magnetic hysteresis behavior not observed previously in magnetic garnet thin films is reported and discussed.

Travelling-wave Mach-Zehnder modulators functioning as optical isolators

On-chip optical isolators not requiring the use of magneto-optical materials has become a long-standing challenge in integrated optics. Here, we demonstrate that a traditional travelling-wave modulator can effectively function as an optical isolator, when driven under a prescribed modulation condition. By using an off-shelve lithium niobate modulator, we achieve more than 12.5 dB isolation over an 11.3-THz bandwidth at telecommunication wavelengths with a fiber-to-fiber insertion loss of 5.5 dB, by employing only a single radio-frequency drive signal. We also verify that the proposed active isolator can be functional in a laser system to effectively prevent instability due to strong back reflections. Since travelling-wave modulators are common devices in III-V and silicon photonics, our simple but efficient architecture may provide a practical solution to non-reciprocal light routing in photonic integrated circuits.

Magneto-optical Goos-Hänchen effect in a prism-waveguide coupling structure

We report a theoretical study of the enhanced Goos-Hänchen (GH) effect in a prism-waveguide coupling system with a magneto-optic thin film of Ce doped Y(3)Fe(5)O(12) (CeYIG). By magnetizing the CeYIG thin film along different directions, a variation of the GH shift can be observed, which is named as the MOGH (magneto-optical Goos-Hänchen) effect. The applied magnetic field direction is found to cause MOGH effect for light with different polarizations. As example systems, enhanced GH shift and MOGH effect is observed in both prism/Air/CeYIG/SiO(2) and prism/Au/CeYIG/SiO(2) structures, by applying opposite magnetic field across the CeYIG layer in a transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect (TMOKE) configuration. The GH and MOGH effect as a function of layer thicknesses, material refractive indices and magneto-optical properties are systematically simulated and discussed. It is observed that the coupling layer and MO layer thickness plays an important role of controlling the MOGH effect in the prism/Au/CeYIG/SiO(2) plasmonic waveguide structure. The MOGH effect shows high sensitivity to applied magnetic field and index variations, making it promising for applications such as optical switches, modulators, and chemical or biomedical index sensors.

Experimental demonstration of broadband Lorentz non-reciprocity in an integrable photonic architecture based on Mach-Zehnder modulators

Lorentz reciprocity is a direct consequence of Maxwell equations governing the propagation of light in passive linear media with symmetric permittivity and permeability tensors. Here, we demonstrate the first active optical isolator and circulator implemented in a linear and reciprocal material platform using commercial Mach-Zehnder modulators. In a proof-of-principle experiment based on single-mode polarization-maintaining fibers, we achieve more than 12.5 dB isolation over an unprecedented 8.7 THz bandwidth at telecommunication wavelengths, with only 9.1 dB total insertion loss. Our architecture provides a practical answer to the challenge of non-reciprocal light routing in photonic integrated circuits.