Tb₂O₃/Ce₂O₃-Codoped B₂O₃-Ga₂O₃(Al₂O₃) Glasses with a Large Faraday Effect Synthesized via Containerless Method for...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Optics
• Solid State Physics

Background:

• Magneto-optical (MO) glasses are crucial for applications requiring the Faraday effect.
• Challenges exist in optimizing Verdet constant and transparency due to rare-earth ion variations.
• High Verdet constants and wide transparency windows are desired for multifunctional MO devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop novel MO glasses with improved Verdet constants and transparency.
• To investigate the effect of Ce2O3 and Tb2O3 content on MO properties.
• To enhance the performance of MO glasses for potential multiband applications.

Main Methods:

• A strategy involving Ce2O3 introduction to reduce Tb4+ to Tb3+.
• Utilizing a levitation technique for embedding high-content paramagnetic ions.
• Characterization of thermal properties, Verdet constant, density, transmittance, and extinction ratio.

Main Results:

• Tb2O3/Ce2O3-codoped glasses demonstrated excellent thermal stability (Tg ≥ 778.4 °C) and high density (ρ ≥ 6.7496 g/cm³).
• The glasses exhibited high transparency across a wide spectral window (>74% at 633 and 1064 nm).
• Remarkably high Verdet constants were achieved, surpassing commercial Tb3Ga5O12 crystals at 633, 1064, and 1550 nm.

Conclusions:

• The developed MO glasses offer superior Verdet constants and wide transparency, outperforming commercial standards.
• The incorporation of Ce2O3 and Tb2O3, along with the levitation technique, effectively enhances MO properties.
• These glasses are promising for designing innovative, multiband MO devices.