English

Laser driven leap forward: the next generation of magnetic devices for controlling light is born

1002
2023-12-21 17:53:12
See translation

Recently, a new laser heating technology developed by a Japanese research group has paved the way for advanced optical communication equipment by integrating transparent magnetic materials into optical circuits.

This breakthrough was recently published in the journal Optical Materials. It is crucial for integrating magneto-optical materials and optical circuits, which has been a significant long-term challenge in this field in the past. It is expected to make progress in compact magneto-optical isolators, miniaturized lasers, high-resolution displays, and small optical devices.

Laser heating of transparent magnetic materials

Specifically, researchers from Tohoku University and Toyohashi University of Technology in Japan have developed a new method for manufacturing transparent magnetic materials using laser heating.

"The key to this achievement lies in the creation of 'cerium substituted yttrium iron garnet' (Ce: YIG), a transparent magnetic material that uses specialized laser heating technology," said Taichi Goto, associate professor and co-author of the Institute of Electronic Communications (RIEC) at Tohoku University in Japan. "This method breaks through the key bottleneck of integrating magneto-optical materials with optical circuits without damaging them - a problem that hinders the progress of miniaturization in optical communication equipment."

Magnetic optical isolators in optical communication

Magnetic optical isolators are crucial for ensuring stable optical communication. They are like traffic lights directing, allowing them to move in one direction but not in another direction. Integrating these isolators into silicon-based photonic circuits is challenging as they typically involve high-temperature processes.

Due to this challenge, Taichi Goto and his colleagues focused their attention on laser annealing - a technique that selectively heats specific areas of materials using lasers. This enables precise control, affecting only the target area without affecting the surrounding area.

Previous studies have used it to selectively heat bismuth substituted yttrium iron garnet (Bi: YIG) thin films deposited on dielectric electron microscopy. This allows Bi: YIG to crystallize without affecting the dielectric electron microscopy.

However, when using Ce: YIG (which is an ideal material for optical devices due to its magnetic and optical properties), problems arise as exposure to air can lead to unnecessary chemical reactions.

To avoid this situation, researchers have designed a new device that heats materials in a vacuum, which means there is no air and laser is used. This allows for precise heating of small areas (approximately 60 microns) without altering the surrounding materials.

The impact on optical technology

Goto added, "The transparent magnetic materials created through this method are expected to significantly promote the development of compact magneto-optical isolators, which is crucial for stable optical communication. In addition, it opens the way for the manufacture of powerful miniaturized lasers, high-resolution displays, and small optical devices."

Related Recommendations
  • The new progress of deep ultraviolet laser technology is expected to change countless applications in science and industry

    Researchers have developed a 60 milliwatt solid-state DUV laser with a wavelength of 193 nanometers using LBO crystals, setting a new benchmark for efficiency values.In the fields of science and technology, utilizing coherent light sources in deep ultraviolet (DUV) regions is of great significance for various applications such as lithography, defect detection, metrology, and spectroscopy. Traditio...

    2024-04-10
    See translation
  • Scientists use tiny nitrogen defects in the atomic structure of diamonds as "color centers" to write data for storage

    Scientists at the City University of New York use tiny nitrogen defects in the atomic structure of diamonds as "color centers" to write data for storage. This technology is published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology and allows for encoding multiple bytes of data into the same nitrogen defect at multiple optical frequencies, without confusing the information content.The common laser based techn...

    2023-12-07
    See translation
  • NUBURU Announces Second Next Generation Blue Laser Space Technology Contract with NASA

    NUBURU, the leading innovator of high-power and high brightness industrial blue laser technology, announced today that it has been awarded a second phase contract worth $850000 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to advance blue laser power transmission technology as a unique solution that significantly reduces the size and weight of equipment required for lunar and Martian...

    2024-05-13
    See translation
  • An efficient femtosecond pulse amplification technique for extracting the maximum stored energy in fiber laser amplifiers

    The well-known journal Optica published a paper in November 2024 titled "Near complete extraction of maximum stored energy from large core fibers using coherent pulse stacking amplification of femtosecond pulses"The authors of the paper were the University of Michigan, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Peking University, and the German Institute of Synchrotron Radiation.The specific technique...

    2024-11-13
    See translation
  • Measuring invisible light through an electro-optic cavity

    Researchers have developed a new experimental platform that can measure the light wave electric field captured between two mirrors with sub periodic accuracy. This electro-optical Fabry Perot resonant cavity will achieve precise control and observation of the interaction between light and matter, especially in the terahertz (THz) spectral range. The research results were published in the journal "...

    02-19
    See translation