Fabrication and characteristics of Ce‐doped Y3Fe5O12 ceramics by hot‐press sintering with oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere.

Infrared transparent Ce‐doped Y3Fe5O12 (Ce: YIG, CexY3‐xFe5O12, x = 0, 0.12, 0.24, 0.36) ceramics were successfully produced by the solid‐state reaction using a hot‐press sintering process from the Y2O3, Fe2O3, and CeO2 powders. The phase structure, microstructure, infrared transmittance, and magnetic and magneto‐optical properties of the Ce‐doped Y3Fe5O12 ceramics were measured and analyzed. The in‐line transmittances of the Ce‐doped Y3Fe5O12 ceramics with the x = 0, 0.12, 0.24 (L = 0.5 mm) at 1550 nm were about 72%, 66.5%, and 57.6%, respectively. In the state of saturation magnetization, the Faraday rotation angle per centimeter (θF) of CexY3‐xFe5O12 (x = 0, 0.12, 0.24) ceramics measured by the light extinction method was 182.5, −410.4, and −958.3 deg./cm, respectively. The change of the θF was about −142.5 deg./cm when per 1at.% Ce was substituted in the dodecahedral site of YIG materials. The (Ce0.24Y2.76)Fe5O12 ceramics were determined as the optimized composition for its excellent infrared optical and magneto‐optical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]