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Journal of Synthetic Crystals ›› 2026, Vol. 55 ›› Issue (9): 1323-1343.DOI: 10.16553/j.cnki.issn1000-985x.2026.0100

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Research Progress on c-Site Doping for Single Crystal Growth and Magneto-Optical Performance Optimization of Yttrium Iron Garnet

XIAO Fan1,2(), YANG Xiaoming1,2(), LONG Xifa1,2, PAN Shilie1,2   

  1. 1.CAS Key Laboratory of Functional Materials and Devices for Special Environmental Conditions,Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Urumqi 830011,China
    2.Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049,China
  • Received:2026-05-25 Online:2026-09-20 Published:2026-09-29
  • Contact: YANG Xiaoming

Abstract: Yttrium iron garnet (Y3Fe5O12, YIG) has emerged as a highly promising functional material for next-generation optical isolators, magneto-optical switches, and integrated photonic devices, owing to its excellent optical transparency, strong Faraday rotation, low optical absorption loss, and high Curie temperature in the near- to mid-infrared spectral region. The rapid advancement of 5G/6G optical communications, fiber-optic gyroscopes, and quantum computing imposes increasingly stringent demands for high-performance, low-power magneto-optical devices, which in turn require YIG single crystals to combine a large magneto-optical response with low insertion loss and robust temperature stability. However, the incongruent melting behavior of YIG precludes the growth of high-quality single crystals by conventional Czochralski pulling, making the flux method the critical technological route for YIG crystal fabrication. This review provides a systematic overview of the evolution of flux-based growth techniques for YIG single crystals, with emphasis on the selective occupation mechanisms at the dodecahedral c-site and the associated charge-compensation principles of Bi3+ and representative rare-earth ions such as Tb3+, Ce3+, Gd3+, and Dy3+. From the perspective of the microscopic origins of the magneto-optical effect, the incorporation of these ions enhances the Faraday rotation predominantly by strengthening spin-orbit coupling, introducing new 4f-5d transition channels, or modifying the super-exchange interactions among the Fe3+ sublattices. Building on these fundamentals, this review further discusses the strategies for tailoring the magneto-optical performance in the near- to mid-infrared region and for optimizing temperature stability through ion doping. Current technical challenges, including doping homogeneity, crystal defect control, and broadband magneto-optical response, are analyzed, and future directions toward integrated-photonics-oriented magneto-optical single crystals are outlined.

Key words: yttrium iron garnet (YIG); flux method; rare-earth doping; magneto-optical crystal; Faraday effect; single crystal growth

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