We demonstrated a flat-surface magneto-optic spatial light modulator (MOSLM) without physically isolated pixels and an external bias coil. The flat-surface MOSLM, which was fabricated by a simple process, was designed as a compact system with a high resolution and very low driving current. Flat-surface pixels for the novel MOSLM were produced by the combinatory use of the local annealing effect that reduced magnetization 4M s of pixel areas and the stress effect that produced sharp variations of magnetic anisotropy in a magnetic garnet film under the edge of a metal layer. The fabricated MOSLM was switched by applying currents of 6 mA for a bottom conductor line and 10 mA for a top conductor line.
A magneto-optic spatial light modulator driven by an electric field is fabricated by using the electrostrictive effect of [Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3] (PZT) thin film. As the stress field induced by the PZT thin film reduces the anisotropy energy of the structured garnet film, we find that the pixels can be easily switched in accordance with or without the small external bias field. When peak-to-peak 8 V at the X and Y conductors is applied with the external bias field of 40 Oe at the fabricated device, the selected pixel is switched independently.
We investigated selective-area micropatterning of iron garnet film grown by liquid-phase epitaxy (LPE). This method of producing a flat-surface structure overcomes the disadvantages of geometrical grooves, which are formed by wet or dry etching, with a limited resolution due to underetching and nonplanar structure. Moreover, patterned iron garnet films grown by selective-area LPE have better single-crystal properties than films grown by selective-area sputter epitaxy deposition. Thus, this method offers new possibilities for the fabrication of integrated magnetooptic light switch arrays, magnetic waveguides and other magnetooptic devices.
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