Optical signal processing with magnetostatic waves

Magnetooptical devices employing the Bragg diffraction of light by magnetostatic waves (MSWs) may furnish large time-bandwidth processing of optical signals at 1-20 GHz. Attention is presently given to a thin film integrated device in which the interacting MSW and guided optical wave both propagate in a common ferrite layer. It is noted that shape factor demagnetization effects must be avoided. The underlying MSW-optical interaction theory is presented, together with expressions for optical diffraction efficiency as a function of MSW parameters. TE - TM mode conversion, induced by MSWs in YIG thin films, suggest that high performance integrated devices are feasible, with such potential applications as spectrum analyzers, convolvers/correlators, deflectors, nonreciprocal optical isolators, and tunable narrowband optical filters with higher operating frequencies and diffraction efficiencies than conventional acoustooptical devices.