Bismuth iron garnet films for magneto-optical photonic crystals

Abstract: The thesis explores preparation and properties of bismuthiron garnet (BIG) films and the incorporation of BIG films intoone-dimensional magneto-optical photonic crystals (MOPCs).Films were prepared by pulsed laser deposition. Weinvestigated or measured crystallinity, morphology,film-substrate interface, cracks, roughness, composition,magnetic coercivity, refractive index and extinctioncoefficient, and magneto-optical Faraday rotation (FR) andellipticity. The investigations were partly performed onselected samples, and partly on two series of films ondifferent substrates and of different thicknesses. BIG filmswere successfully tested for the application of magneto-opticalvisualization. The effect of annealing in oxygen atmosphere wasalso investigated - very careful annealing can increase FR byup to 20%. A smaller number of the above mentionedinvestigations were carried out on yttrium iron garnet (YIG)films as well.Periodical BIG-YIG multilayers with up to 25 single layerswere designed and prepared with the purpose to enhance FR at aselected wavelength. A central BIG layer was introduced asdefect layer into the MOPC structure and generated resonancesin optical transmittance and FR at a chosen design wavelength.In a 17- layer structure, at the wavelength of 748 nm, FR wasincreased from -2.6 deg/µm to -6.3 deg/µmat a smallreduction in transmittance from 69% to 58% as compared to asingle-layer BIG film of equivalent thickness. In contrast tothick BIG films, the MOPCs did not crack. We were first toreport preparation of all-garnet MOPCs and second toexperimentally demonstrate the MOPC principle inmagneto-optical garnets.