Abstract: An optical device includes a Faraday rotator made of a bismuth substituted rare earth iron garnet single crystal (BIG) having a Faraday rotation of 45 degrees, and permanent magnets arranged beside the Faraday rotator to define two or more areas of a single domain structure in the Faraday rotator. Adjacent areas are magnetized in opposite directions to cause the polarization planes of light beams passing through the adjacent areas to rotate in opposite directions. The optical device satisfies the relation expressed by Hs/Br/DH>&Dgr;D/2>0 where Hs (Oe) is a saturation magnetic field of the BIG, DH (cm−1) is a rate of change in magnetic field in the proximity to a boundary between the adjacent areas, Br (Gauss) is a residual flux density of the permanent magnets, and &Dgr;D is a distance between the two light beams.

Abstract: An optical device includes a Faraday rotator made of a bismuth substituted rare earth iron garnet single crystal (BIG) having a Faraday rotation of 45 degrees, and permanent magnets arranged beside the Faraday rotator to define two or more areas of a single domain structure in the Faraday rotator. Adjacent areas are magnetized in opposite directions to cause the polarization planes of light beams passing through the adjacent areas to rotate in opposite directions. The optical device satisfies the relation expressed by Hs/Br/DH>&Dgr;D/2>0 where Hs (Oe) is a saturation magnetic field of the BIG, DH (cm−1) is a rate of change in magnetic field in the proximity to a boundary between the adjacent areas, Br (Gauss) is a residual flux density of the permanent magnets, and &Dgr;D is a distance between the two light beams.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing is used to manufacture a magnet-free Faraday rotator having a square hysteresis loop, the Faraday rotator being formed of a bismuth-substituted rare earth iron garnet single crystal that has a compensation temperature in the range of 10 to 40° C. and is grown on a non-magnetic garnet substrate by a liquid phase epitaxy. The method comprising the steps of placing the bismuth-substituted rare earth iron garnet single crystal film in an environment of a temperature at least 20° C. away from the compensation temperature; and applying an external magnetic field higher than 1000 Oe to the bismuth-substituted rare earth iron garnet single crystal film so that the bismuth-substituted rare earth iron garnet single crystal film is magnetized to have a square hysteresis loop.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing is used to manufacture a magnet-free Faraday rotator having a square hysteresis loop, the Faraday rotator being formed of a bismuth-substituted rare earth iron garnet single crystal that has a compensation temperature in the range of 10 to 40° C. and is grown on a non-magnetic garnet substrate by a liquid phase epitaxy. The method comprising the steps of placing the bismuth-substituted rare earth iron garnet single crystal film in an environment of a temperature at least 20° C. away from the compensation temperature; and applying an external magnetic field higher than 1000 Oe to the bismuth-substituted rare earth iron garnet single crystal film so that the bismuth-substituted rare earth iron garnet single crystal film is magnetized to have a square hysteresis loop.