SBIR Phase I: Thick Film Garnet Materials for In-Plane Propagation Magnetooptic Devices

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project addresses the device and market opportunity for in-plane propagation of light in planar anisotropy magnetic garnet films for high sensitivity, high-speed magneto-optic sensors and modulators. Traditional propagation devices require perpendicular magnetic fields and magnetization processes. These are limited in speed and sensitivity by the current materials and the energy required to magnetize the garnet in the perpendicular direction. In the plane of the film, there is almost no energetic barrier to domain rotation. In this project, the company proposes to reduce that barrier to near zero to make devices of unprecedented sensitivity and speed. The goal is to attain pico-Tesla field sensitivities in sensors and gigahertz device frequencies. The latter will enable small, low-power magneto-optic light modulators that are truly a disruptive technology by comparison to current large dimension electro-optic technologies. In-plane propagation in planar thick film Faraday rotators would enable unique new devices. High speed magneto-optic modulators open the door to system integration architecture for wideband communications and software defined radios. In-plane propagation can be optimized to give either unprecedented high sensitivity or ranges much greater than can be attained with conventional perpendicular propagation. These sensors would have applications such as wheel and turbine rotation, electric power distribution, monitoring, metering and control and battlefield sensors.