Vacuum laser annealing of magnetooptical cerium-substituted yttrium iron garnet films

• Published in: Optical materials Vol. 146; p. 114530
• Main Authors: Miyashita, Hibiki, Yoshihara, Yuki, Mori, Kanta, Koguchi, Takumi, Lim, Pang Boey, Inoue, Mitsuteru, Ishiyama, Kazushi, Goto, Taichi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.12.2023
• Subjects: Ce:YIG; Faraday rotation; Laser anneal; Magneto-optics; Ce:YIG; Laser anneal; Magneto-optics; Faraday rotation
• ISSN: 0925-3467; 1873-1252
• DOI: 10.1016/j.optmat.2023.114530

Laser annealing in a vacuum chamber was employed to achieve the selective crystallization of a cerium-substituted yttrium iron garnet (Ce:YIG, Ce1Y2Fe5O12) film on a glass substrate. The film was selectively crystallized using a continuous-wave laser, and the transmissivity, optical constants, electronic binding states, magnetic properties, and magnetooptical properties of the fabricated Ce:YIG films were measured. A single Ce:YIG phase was observed using X-ray diffraction, and the film's magnetization was comparable to that of Ce:YIG prepared by heater annealing. Faraday rotation angles of 0.50°/μm and −0.25°/μm were obtained at wavelengths of 532 nm and 1064 nm, respectively. •Selective annealing of Ce:YIG has been essential for integrated optical isolators.•Vacuum laser annealing was utilized to fabricate polycrystalline Ce:YIG films.•A polycrystalline Ce:YIG phase was obtained by combining a laser and heater.•The crystallized film exhibited magnetooptical responses.•The proposed method achieved the selective crystallization of the film.