Guided-wave properties and mode conversions in (BiNdLu)3(FeAlLu)5O12films

The guided-wave properties and TE-TM mode conversions for LPE-grown (BiNdLu)3(FeAlLu)5O12films were studied. A complete (100%) TE-TM mode conversion efficiency was attained by controlling the stress- and growth-induced optical birefringences which seriously influence the phase matching between the TE and TM modes. The mode conversion saturated under an external magnetic field at less than 8 Oe parallel to the light propagation direction. The correlation between growth-induced birefringence and growth-induced uniaxial magnetic anisotropy is discussed. It was found that the magnetooptical figure of merit |θF|/α reached more than 160 deg/dB at wavelength λ=1.15μm. These results show that (BiNdLu)3(FeAlLu)5O12films are promising materials for waveguide-type magneto-optical application.