Oxide and magneto-optical device

• US 8,753,538 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2010
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shin-Etsu Chemical Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Shin-Etsu Chemical Company Limited
• Inventors: Makikawa, Shinji, Watanabe, Toshiaki, Yamanaka, Akio, Naruse, Hirotaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Emily
• Assistant Examiner(s): EDMONDSON, LYNNE RENEE
• Application Number:
  US13/055,608
• Publication Number:
  US 20110133111A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,474 Days
• Field of Search: 252/301.4 R, 252/301.4 F, 359/796, 501/94, 501/152, 423/263, 117/945, 117/947
• US Class Current: 252/301.4R
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3206 Magnesium oxides or oxide-forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3213 Strontium oxides or oxide-forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3215 Barium oxides or oxide-forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3217 Aluminum oxide or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. bauxite, alpha-alumina
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3224 Rare earth oxide or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. scandium oxide
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3225 Yttrium oxide or oxide-forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3232 Titanium oxides or titanates, e.g. rutile or anatase
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3244 Zirconium oxides, zirconates, hafnium oxides, hafnates, or oxide-forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3286 Gallium oxides, gallates, indium oxides, indates, thallium oxides, thallates or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. zinc gallate
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3287 Germanium oxides, germanates or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. copper germanate
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3293 Tin oxides, stannates or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. indium tin oxide [ITO]
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/604 Pressing at temperatures other than sintering temperatures
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/6581 Total pressure below 1 atmosphere, e.g. vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/9653 Translucent or transparent ceramics other than alumina
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/50 based on rare-earth compounds non-oxide rare earth compounds C04B35/5156
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/505 based on yttrium oxide
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/62655 Drying, e.g. freeze-drying, spray-drying, microwave or supercritical drying
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/6455 Hot isostatic pressing
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 11/00 Single-crystal growth by normal freezing or freezing under temperature gradient, e.g. Bridgman-Stockbarger method C30B13/00, C30B15/00, C30B17/00, C30B19/00 take precedence; under a protective fluid C30B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 13/00 Single-crystal growth by zone-melting; Refining by zone-melting C30B17/00 takes precedence; by changing the cross-section of the treated solid C30B15/00; under a protective fluid C30B27/00; for the growth of homogeneous polycrystalline material with defined structure C30B28/00
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 15/00 : Single-crystal growth by pulling from a melt, e.g. Czochralski method under a protective fluid C30B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 15/08 : Downward pulling
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/16 : Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/22 : Complex oxides
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/0036 : Magneto-optical materials
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/09 : based on magneto-optical elements, e.g. exhibiting Faraday effect

Abstract

An oxide is provided that contains the oxide represented by Formula (I) as the main component thereof, that has a Verdet constant at a wavelength of 1.06 μm of at least 0.18 min/(Oe·cm), and that has a transmittance at a wavelength of 1.06 μm and for an optical length of 3 mm of at least 70%,
(Tb_xR_1-x)₂O₃  (I)
wherein x is 0.4≦x≦1.0; R includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, europium, gadolinium, ytterbium, holmium and lutetium.

Claims

1. An oxide comprising:

an oxide represented by Formula (I) as the main component thereof; and

a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of alkaline earth metal oxides, Group 13 element oxides, Group 14 element oxides and Group 4 element oxides, in an amount of 0.00001 wt % to 0.1 wt %, wherein

the oxide comprising the oxide represented by Formula (I) and the metal oxide is a solid solution,

the oxide comprising the oxide represented by Formula (I) and the metal oxide has a Verdet constant at a wavelength of 1.06 μ

m of at least 0.18 min/(Oe·

cm), and

the oxide comprising the oxide represented by Formula (I) and the metal oxide has a transmittance at a wavelength of 1.06 μ

m and for an optical length of 3 mm of at least 70%;

(Tb_xR_1-x)₂O₃ 

 

(I)

wherein x is 0.4≦

x≦

1.0;

R includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, europium, gadolinium, ytterbium, holmium and lutetium, and

an amount of the oxide represented by Formula (I) is at least 80 wt %.

2. The oxide as claimed in claim 1, wherein in Formula (I), R is a single element selected from the group consisting of scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, europium, gadolinium, ytterbium, holmium and lutetium.

3. The oxide as claimed in claim 1, wherein the oxide comprising the oxide represented by Formula (I) and the metal oxide is a single crystal.

4. The oxide as claimed in claim 3, wherein the metal oxide contains an alkaline earth metal oxide in an amount of 0.0001 wt % to 0.1 wt %.

5. The oxide as claimed in claim 3 or 4, wherein the oxide comprising the oxide represented by Formula (I) and the metal oxide is produced by a production method selected from the group consisting of a floating zone melt method, a micro-pull down method, a pull up method, a skull melt method, and a Bridgman method.

6. The oxide as claimed in claim 1, wherein the oxide comprising the oxide represented by Formula (I) and the metal oxide is a ceramic.

7. A magneto-optical device comprising the oxide of claim 1.

8. The magneto-optical device as claimed in claim 7, comprising:

the oxide comprising the oxide represented by Formula (I) and the metal oxide as a Faraday rotator; and

a polarizing material arranged before and after the Faraday rotator, wherein

the magneto-optical device is an optical isolator for a wavelength range of from 0.9 μ

m to 1.1 μ

m.

9. The oxide as claimed in claim 1, wherein the amount of the oxide represented by Formula (I) is at least 99 wt %.

10. The oxide as claimed in claim 1, wherein x is 0.4≦

x≦

0.8 in Formula (I).

11. A magneto-optical device comprising:

an oxide as a Faraday rotator; and

a polarizing material arranged before and after the Faraday rotator, wherein

the magneto-optical device is an optical isolator for a wavelength range of from 0.9 μ

m to 1.1 μ

m, and

the oxide comprises;

an oxide represented by Formula (I) as the main component thereof; and

a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of alkaline earth metal oxides, Group 13 element oxides, Group 14 element oxides and Group 4 element oxides, in an amount of 0.00001 wt % to 0.1 wt %, wherein

the oxide comprising the oxide represented by Formula (I) and the metal oxide is a solid solution,

the oxide comprising the oxide represented by Formula (I) and the metal oxide has a Verdet constant at a wavelength of 1.06 μ

m of at least 0.18 min/(Oe·

cm), and

the oxide comprising the oxide represented by Formula (I) and the metal oxide has a transmittance at a wavelength of 1.06 μ

m and for an optical length of 3 mm of at least 70%;

(Tb_xR_1-x)₂O₃ 

 

(I)

wherein x is 0.4≦

x≦

1.0;

R includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, europium, gadolinium, ytterbium, holmium and lutetium.

12. A magneto-optical device comprising:

an oxide as a Faraday rotator; and

a polarizing material arranged before and after the Faraday rotator, wherein

the magneto-optical device is an optical isolator for a wavelength range of from 0.9 μ

m to 1.1 μ

m, and

the oxide comprises an oxide represented by Formula (I) as the main component thereof, wherein

the oxide comprising the oxide represented by Formula (I) has a Verdet constant at a wavelength of 1.06 vim of at least 0.18 min/(Oe·

cm), and

the oxide comprising the oxide represented by Formula (I) has a transmittance at a wavelength of 1.06 μ

m and for an optical length of 3 mm of at least 70%;

(Tb_xR_1-x)₂O₃ 

 

(I)

wherein x is 0.4≦

x≦

1.0;

R includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, europium, gadolinium, ytterbium, holmium and lutetium.