Ultra small magneto-optic field probe fabricated by aerosol deposition

The basic performance of a newly developed microscopic magneto-optic probe is described. The probe was fabricated by directly depositing a Bi-substituted yttrium iron garnet [Bi-YIG] film onto the optical fiber edge using aerosol deposition. This fabrication process is inexpensive and simple because there are no complicated procedures such as fine lithography and etching. The film is 125-μm-wide, which is the same as the diameter of a, typical single mode fiber, and approximately 10-μm-thick. The 3-dB bandwidth and spatial resolution of the probe were found to be about 3 GHz and in the 10-μm order, respectively. Because the developed magneto-optic probe is very tiny and thin, it can be a powerful tool for detailed electrical characterization of densely packaged electronic circuits.