Magnetophotonic Response of Three-Dimensional Opals

Abstract

Three-dimensional magnetophotonic crystals (3D-MPCs) are being postulated as appropriate platforms to tailor the magneto-optical spectral response of magnetic materials and to incorporate this functionality in a new generation of optical devices. By infiltrating self-assembled inverse opal structures with monodisperse nickel nanoparticles we have fabricated 3D-MPCs that show a sizable enhancement of the magneto-optical signal at frequencies around the stop-band edges of the photonic crystals. We have established a proper methodology to disentangle the intrinsic magneto-optical spectra from the nonmagnetic optical activity of the 3D-MPCs. The results of the optical and magneto-optical characterization are consistent with a homogeneous magnetic infiltration of the opal structure that gives rise to both a red-shift of the optical bandgap and a modification of the magneto-optical spectral response due to photonic bandgap effects. The results of our investigation demonstrate the potential of 3D-MPCs fabricated following the approach outlined here and offer opportunities to adapt the magneto-optical spectral response at optical frequencies by appropriate design of the opal structure or magnetic field strength.

Periodic structures of magnetic garnet particles for strong Faraday rotation enhancement

“…For example, large Faraday and Kerr effects, as a result of the strong field localization in the magneto-optically active material, have been demonstrated in one-dimensional structures, such as a magnetic thin film sandwiched between dielectric Bragg mirrors [1] and magnetic/dielectric multilayer films at the edges of their photonic band gap [2,3]. A modification of the MO spectral response, especially prominent near the photonic band edges, was also observed in three-dimensional selfassembled inverse opal structures infiltrated with magnetic nickel nanoparticles [4]. Moreover, it has been shown that resonant Kerr effect can be obtained with subwavelength nanowire gratings made of MO dielectric materials, for a given polarization of the incident light, by tuning the incidence angle and grating parameters to operate near the resonant reflectance condition for the orthogonal polarization state [5].…”

Untangling the contributions of cerium and iron to the magnetism of Ce-doped yttrium iron garnet

“…The Kerr rotation and ellipticity were measured in a polar Kerr configuration at room temperature for wavelengths in the visible ( = 400 − 700 nm). Details of the magneto-optical method and equipment can be found elsewhere 29,30 . Spectra of ( ) and ( ) were recorded at room temperature by sweeping the wavelengths over the range of the visible in steps of Δ = 1 nm.…”

Improving Faraday rotation performance with block copolymer and FePt nanoparticle magneto-optical composite

“…Magneto-optical (MO) materials have numerous high-end photonic applications in optical isolators and circulators, optical switches, high performance magnetic field sensors and satellite navigation systems [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. Faraday rotation (FR) is one of the most important MO phenomenon, in which the applied magnetic field changes the polarization plane of propagating linearly polarized light by inducing a circular birefringence [1][2][3]7,12].…”