Structure, Magnetic and Magneto-Optical Properties Of A New Cubic Ce3sc2ga3o12 Garnet Crystal with Heavily Ce3+ Concentration

Abstract

Based on the thermal stability analysis by density functional theory and the crystal phase optimization by tolerance factor, the crystal structure was designed. So a new cubic Ce3Sc2Ga3O12(CSGG) garnet material with high Ce3+ concentration was synthesized. The centimeter-scale CSGG crystal was grown by Czochralski method. CSGG exhibits fine magneto-optical properties, which attributes to the stable valence and the high concentration of rare earth Ce3+ ions. Compared with commercial Tb3Ga5O12 (TGG), CSGG is also paramagnetic, but its magneto-optical properties are better. Verdet constants of CSGG in 532, 635, 1064 and 1550 nm are -380.0, -258.8, -47.5 and -22.4 rad / T·m respectively, which are from 1.2 to 2.0 times that of TGG. Moreover, CSGG crystal has high transmittance in 1500-2300 nm to make up for the poor transmittance of TGG crystal in this band. Also considering its low raw material cost, the CSGG crystal presents a promising application potential. It could be qualified as essential material for magneto-optical isolator, circulator and switch within the visible-near infrared band.

Keywords: Magneto-optical crystal, Verdet constant, Czochralski method, Garnet crystal structure, Cerium