Preparation of (Tb0.8Y0.2)3Al5O12transparent ceramic as novel magneto-optical isolator material

The ion substitution characteristics of Y 3+ -doped (Tb 0.8 Y 0.2 ) 3 Al 5 O 12 transparent ceramics synthesized by a solid-state reaction and vacuum sintering are investigated. The sample sintered at 1 680 C exhibits the best optical properties, yielding a transmittance >75% from 900 to 1 600 nm. The Verdet constant of this sample at 632.8 nm is -108.79 rad·T 1 ·m 1 . X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that all of the samples have a pure garnet crystal structure without secondary phases. The microstructure of the samples reveals homogeneous grain sizes that averages <10 μm.