https://doi.org/10.15407/jopt.2018.53.140

Optoelectron. Semicond. Tech. 53, 149-160 (2018)

V. Morozhenko

TRANSMISSION, REFLECTION AND THERMAL RADIATION OF MAGNETO-OPTICAL RESONATOR STRUCTURES IN THE INFRARED SPECTRAL RANGE: RESEARCH AND APPLICATION (REVIEW)

The article gives an overview of theoretical and experimental investigations of magneto-optical effects in multilayer and single-layered magneto-optical resonator structures in the infrared spectrum range. Attention is paid to studying the influence of an external magnetic field on the spectral and angular dependences of reflection, transmission and thermal radiation of the structures located in the Faraday geometry with respect to the field. To calculate the optical characteristics of the resonator structures in a magnetic field, it was developed a theory of interaction of radiation with the structure in the conditions of the Faraday rotation of a polarization plane. As a result of the theoretical studies, it was ascertained that rotation of the polarization plane in a magnetic field changes the conditions of multipath interference in the resonator structure. It leads to significant changes in the optical characteristics of the resonator structures, which manifests itself in deformation of the interference pattern of both external light and own thermal radiation. The splitting of interference extremes into two components, which are shifted to the long-wave and short-wave regions of the spectrum, occurs. As a consequence, in the spectral and angular distributions, there is a beat effect with amplitude modulation of intensity oscillations. Moreover, the effect is observed for both polarized and non-polarized light. The theoretical results are confirmed by experimental studies of semiconductor single-layer resonators. In the experiments, the doped III-V compound semiconductors were used. Due to the low value of the electron effective mass, they have pronounced magneto-optical properties beyond the edge of fundamental absorption. On the basis of the obtained results, it has been concluded that the magneto-optical resonator structures are promising objects for creation of a new magneto-controllable optical devices on their basis for the medium and far infrared ranges. Examples of implementation of various radiation sources, optical modulators and switches have been adduced. The new method for determining the parameters of magneto-optical layer by analyzing its spectra in a magnetic field has been proposed.

Keywords: Faraday effect, transmission, reflection, thermal radiation, magneto-optical structures, infrared range.