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We demonstrate a magnetooptic spatial light modulator with one-step pattern formation of iron-garnet films on ion-milled substrates by liquid-phase epitaxy (LPE). The one-step pixel growth is acquired by the combination of a single-crystal epitaxial fill growth by LPE and an impeded film growth on a substrate whose surface has been locally damaged and milled by ion bombardment before film deposition. The interface between pixel (single-crystal expitaxial area) and pixel gap (perturbed epitaxial area) guides magnetic walls just like a groove. The fabricated prototype magnetooptic spatial light modulator (MOSLM) is switched by applying driving currents of 40 mA for the bottom conductor line and 80 mA for the top conductor line under external bias field of 20 Oe, which is over two times smaller than that of the conventional MOSLM. The novel MOSLM can provide higher resolution, simpler fabrication process, more compact systems, and lower driving current. Index Terms--Garnet films, magnetooptic effects, magnetooptic modulation.

We magnetooptically investigated how to make flat-surface pixels for a magnetooptic spatial-light modulator (MOSLM) without a physically isolated iron-garnet film. The flat-surface pixels were produced by the combinatory use of local annealing and metal stress effects. In particular, an Al layer as a mask for thermal infrared (IR) annealing was used to acquire enhanced reflectivity of the pixel area and a simpler fabrication process. In addition, ten times smaller switching bias field was acquired, compared to the physically-isolated pixel. The MOSLM with flat-surface pixels can make a compact system with higher resolution, a simpler fabrication process, and a very low driving current. Index Terms--Infrared (IR) annealing, iron-garnet film, LPE, magnetooptic spatial light modulator (MOSLM), spatial-light modulator (SLM), stress field.