This equipment grant is in support of research on optical guided-wave interactions with magnetostatic waves (MSW) in thin ferrite films. Possible MSW optical signal processing devices based on these geometries include high speed optical modulators, narrowband tunable optical filters, thin-film optical isolator, and integrated-optic rf spectrum analyzers. The new equipment will allow new research directed toward the development of these devices when combined with existing microwave instrumentation. Specific research projects include an MSW-optical amplitude modulator that should be capable of modulation rates in excess of 20 GHz.
