MAGNETOMETRIC SENSOR AND OPTICAL SWITCH

• Main Authors: MORI TETSUJI, TAKAHASHI KEN, FUKUDA HIROAKI, SAITO SHIN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 16.12.2010
• Subjects: DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS, THE OPTICAL OPERATION OF WHICH ISMODIFIED BY CHANGING THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIUM OF THEDEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF THE INTENSITY,COLOUR, PHASE, POLARISATION OR DIRECTION OF LIGHT, e.g.SWITCHING, GATING, MODULATING OR DEMODULATING; FREQUENCY-CHANGING; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MEASURING; MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICS; PHYSICS; TECHNIQUES OR PROCEDURES FOR THE OPERATION THEREOF; TESTING

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a magnetometric sensor detecting a feeble magneto-optical signal with high sensitivity, and also to provide an optical switch available for high-speed processing using magneto-optics. SOLUTION: This magnetometric sensor has at least a light source, a polarizer, a transparent optical member having a noble metal thin film layer formed on a reflection surface, and a photodetector. In the magnetometric sensor, when light emitted from the light source enters the noble metal thin film layer through an incident surface of the transparent optical member, the light from the light source is irradiated in a condition wherein a reflectivity of incident light is reduced by surface plasmon resonance generated on the noble metal thin film layer, and at least a part of reflected light from the noble metal thin film layer is detected by the photodetector, and a magnetic field is converted from a magneto-optical signal which is an output from the photodetector having a proportional relation with a generated magnetic field. The magnetometric sensor for detecting a magneto-optical signal with high sensitivity is provided thereby. COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT