P hysics of Magneto-Optic Waveguide Isolator

The paper discusses physical aspects of the waveguide isolator based on the transverse magneto-optical (MO) effect. The isolator operating on TM mode provides a unidirectional transfer of electromagnetic energy from the laser source to the optical fiber. The device consists of an active semiconductor multilayer sandwiched between semiconductor buffer and semiconductor substrate with a MO active ferromagnetic alloy layer deposited on the buffer. The optical gain in the semiconductor multilayer compensates the optical losses due to the reduced reflectivity on the magnetic wall of the waveguide. The characteristics of the device are analyzed with a model planar four-layer waveguide.