Design of Ultrathin Faraday Rotators based on All-dielectric Magneto-optical Metasurfaces at the Telecommunication Band

Abstract

Magneto-optical (MO) interactions offer a direct route to nonreciprocal optical devices but are intrinsically weak in the optical domain, posing a major challenge in downsizing MO functional devices. In this study, we present a design strategy for ultra-thin MO Faraday rotators based on all-dielectric metasurfaces supporting high-quality factor quasi-bound states in the continuum (QBIC) modes. Light trapping in QBIC modes induced by band folding significantly enhances MO interactions in a controllable manner, enabling a technologically relevant 45$^\circ$ Faraday rotation with a MO metasurface that is only a few hundred nanometers thick. The design also incorporates electromagnetically induced transparency via spectrally overlapping resonant modes to achieve high light transmittance reaching 80%. This approach not only enables compact yet practical MO Faraday rotator but also holds promises for advancing free-space magnetic sensors and MO modulators.