Research Progress on Magneto-optical Transparent Ceramics

Magneto-optical material is a kind of optical functional material which has the magneto-optical effect from ultraviolet to infrared band. According to the type of material, magneto-optical materials can be classified into magneto-optical glass, magneto-optical crystals, magneto-optical transparent ceramics, etc. As a new type of magneto-optical material which has emerged in recent years, magneto-optical transparent ceramics are considered as one of the most promising candidates for Faraday isolators used in high power lasers due to its high Verdet constant, large size, high thermal conductivity, and high laser-induced-damage threshold. Up to now, the magneto-optical transparent ceramics reported mainly include terbium gallium garnet (Tb3Ga5O12, TGG), terbium aluminum garnet (Tb3Al5O12, TAG) and some sesquioxide ceramics such as terbium oxide (Tb2O3), holmium oxide (Ho2O3), dysprosium oxide (Dy2O3), etc. In this paper, several common magneto-optical effects were briefly introduced, and the basic principles of Faraday effect and Kerr effect were illustrated in detail. In addition, the research progress, all-sides properties and application prospects of magneto-optical transparent ceramics were mainly reviewed. The properties of different kinds of magneto-optical transparent ceramics were compared and analyzed, and the existing problems as well as the research prospects were also proposed.