A new type of NiO-doped phosphate glass with excellent Faraday effects

Abstract Herein, the phosphate glasses containing 0–2 mol% nickel oxide were prepared by melt-quenching technology. The structural and magneto-optical properties were investigated. The results show that the NiO doped phosphate glass is composed of a three-dimensional network structure formed by different types of phosphate groups, and exhibits obvious amorphous characteristic. The addition of NiO has no distinct effect on the network structure of glass, but the absorption peaks of Ni 2+ attributed to d-orbital electron transition appear in the UV–visible spectrum. The Verdet constant measured at 632.8 nm shows a positive correlation with NiO concentration. When the content of NiO up to 2 mol%, the Verdet constant is 55.5°/T cm, which is 18 times higher than that of the host glass approximately. This means a potential to cover the increasing demand for new and improve Faraday rotators.