Fabrication and application of multiferroic nano-structural thin film

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K18234
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Inorganic materials/Physical properties
• Research Institution: Shizuoka University
• Principal Investigator: Nakashima Seisuke 静岡大学, 工学部, 准教授 (40462709)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: ファラデー効果 / 磁性ナノ構造 / マルチフェロイック材料 / レーザープロセス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Non-stoichiometric ZnFe2O4 thin films were prepared on sapphire substrates using pulse laser deposition. Faraday rotation angles for Zn-rich thin films as large as that for a stoichiometric film were obtained, leading to higher figure of merit Faraday ration.
Transparent composite materials of Fe3O4 nanoparticles and silica xerogels have been prepared by sol-gel reaction using aminosilane. Faraday rotation angles as a function of external magnetic field clearly indicate that the ferromagnetic nanoparticles were stably dispersed in the xerogel matrices. By the irradiation with a femtosecond laser beam, waveguide structures accompanied with refractive-index changes were created inside the xerogel samples. Propagation of laser beam with the wavelength of 488 nm was clearly observed. Micro-Faraday rotation angles were successfully measured for the propagated light, suggesting ferrimagnetic responses due to Fe3O4 nanoparticles in waveguide structures.

Free Research Field

無機材料物性

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

酸化物ナノ磁性体と光導波路の複合材料に関する研究を行った。これまでにない導波路型の磁気光学デバイスを実現する先駆的な研究であり、将来的に光回路などに組み込み可能な偏光制御素子を製造するために重要な知見が得られた。今後、プラズモン材料との組み合わせにより、ファラデー効果のさらなる増強が見込め、高効率化が期待できる。