Faraday rotator based on a silicon photonic crystal slab on a bismuth-substituted yttrium iron garnet thin film

Abstract We report the design of an ultrathin Faraday rotator consisting of a silicon photonic crystal (PhC) slab on a bismuth-substituted yttrium iron garnet (Bi:YIG) thin film. By directing light into guided modes in the Bi:YIG layer via diffraction in the PhC layer, we numerically demonstrate a Faraday rotation angle of ∼45° at a telecom wavelength with a Bi:YIG layer thickness of only ∼500 nm. This structure permits a high light transmittance of about 70%, enabled by electromagnetically induced transparency. The proposed design only requires nanopatterning of the Si layer, providing a viable route to practical ultrathin Faraday rotators.