Broadband optical modulation using magneto-optic Bi-YIG thin films

We present a tunable wideband bismuth-substituted yttrium iron garnet (Bi-YIG) waveguide magnieto-optic (MO) modulator. An 800 nm optical beam is modulated through active control of the magnetization of the Bi-YIG film. Large bandwidth optical modulation is achieved by driving the device in a non-resonant mode that is well below the ferromagnetic resonance frequency of the film. The MO modulator is capable of operating at bandwidths higher than 1 GHz by tuning the applied static magnetic field.