Fabrication of magneto-optical waveguides inside transparent silica xerogels containing ferrimagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles

Magneto-optical waveguides with a refractive-index change were successfully fabricated inside silica xerogels containing ferrimagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) using femtosecond laser processing. Aminopropyltriethoxysilane-derived xerogels were prepared via a sol-gel process with aqueous solutions...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Optics express 2018-11, Vol.26 (24), p.31898-31907
Main Authors: Nakashima, Seisuke, Okabe, Ryohei, Sugioka, Koji, Ishida, Akihiro
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Magneto-optical waveguides with a refractive-index change were successfully fabricated inside silica xerogels containing ferrimagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) using femtosecond laser processing. Aminopropyltriethoxysilane-derived xerogels were prepared via a sol-gel process with aqueous solutions of Fe3O4 NPs synthesized by coprecipitation. The mass/volume concentration of Fe3O4 NPs in the xerogels was determined by comparing the absorbance of the xerogel with that of an aqueous solution of Fe3O4 NPs. We evaluated Faraday rotation angles for light propagating through waveguide structures in xerogels containing Fe3O4 NPs at mass/volume concentrations of 0.087 and 0.148 mg/cm3 at a wavelength of 488 nm. Ferrimagnetic saturation of the Faraday rotation angle was observed, which is consistent with the magnetization curves measured at room temperature. Magneto-optical waveguides can potentially be used to produce micro-sized Faraday devices, such as optical isolators, high-density magnetic recording devices, and optical sensors, which can be integrated with optical and electronic hybrid circuits.
ISSN:1094-4087
DOI:10.1364/OE.26.031898