1. Magnetless Optical Circulator Based on an Iron Garnet with Reduced Magnetization Saturation
- Author
-
Hugo E. Hernandez-Figueroa, Miguel Levy, and Gianni T. Portela
- Subjects
Materials science ,Magnetic domain ,Orders of magnitude (temperature) ,Circulator ,Pharmaceutical Science ,Organic chemistry ,02 engineering and technology ,01 natural sciences ,Article ,Analytical Chemistry ,law.invention ,010309 optics ,020210 optoelectronics & photonics ,QD241-441 ,optical communication systems ,law ,0103 physical sciences ,Drug Discovery ,0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering ,Insertion loss ,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry ,Photonic crystal ,circulators ,Electromagnet ,business.industry ,magneto-optical materials ,Chemistry (miscellaneous) ,Magnet ,Molecular Medicine ,Optoelectronics ,Optical circulator ,business - Abstract
A three-port circulator for optical communication systems comprising a photonic crystal slab made of a magneto-optical material in which an magnetizing element is not required to keep its magnetic domains aligned is suggested for the first time. By maximizing the incorporation of europium to its molecular formula, the magneto-optical material can remain in the saturated magnetic state even in the absence of an external DC magnetic field. Two- and three-dimensional simulations of the device performed with full-wave electromagnetic solvers based on the finite element method demonstrate that, at the 1550 nm wavelength, the insertion loss, isolation, and reflection levels are equal to or better than −1 dB, −14 dB, and −20 dB, respectively. Since its operation does not require an electromagnet or a permanent magnet, the suggested circulator is much more compact, being able to reach footprints in the range of three orders of magnitude smaller, when compared to other circulator designs referred to in the literature and the presented results can be useful for the design of other nonreciprocal devices with reduced dimensions for optical communication systems.
- Published
- 2021