Provided are a Faraday rotator having a high light transmittance and a high Verdet constant and an optical isolator using the same. The Faraday rotator of the present invention contains a garnet type crystal represented by (Tb.sub.3-x-yR.sub.xBi.sub.y)Al.sub.5O.sub.12 (R represents one or more elements selected from Y, Er, Yb, or Lu, 0<x, and 0y). It is preferable that the Faraday rotator contains a garnet type crystal represented by (Tb.sub.3-x-yR.sub.xBi.sub.y)Al.sub.5O.sub.12 (R is one or more elements selected from Y or a lanthanoid (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, or Lu), 0x, and 0<y)).

Provided are a Faraday rotator having a high light transmittance and a high Verdet constant and an optical isolator using the same. The Faraday rotator of the present invention contains a garnet type crystal represented by (Tb.sub.3-x-yR.sub.xBi.sub.y)Al.sub.5O.sub.12 (R represents one or more elements selected from Y, Er, Yb, or Lu, 0<x, and 0y). It is preferable that the Faraday rotator contains a garnet type crystal represented by (Tb.sub.3-x-yR.sub.xBi.sub.y)Al.sub.5O.sub.12 (R is one or more elements selected from Y or a lanthanoid (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, or Lu), 0x, and 0<y)).

A method includes forming a layer of molecular feedstock over a surface of a substrate, the molecular feedstock including a chiral molecule, forming crystal nuclei from the molecular feedstock within a nucleation region of the layer, and growing the crystal nuclei to form an organic solid crystal (OSC) thin film. A chiral molecule-containing organic solid crystal thin film may have a refractive index and birefringence that can be actively tuned via charge injection. An organic solid crystal (OSC) thin film including a single enantiomer of a chiral organic molecule may be configured to propagate a selected handedness of circularly polarized light.

A method includes forming a layer of molecular feedstock over a surface of a substrate, the molecular feedstock including a chiral molecule, forming crystal nuclei from the molecular feedstock within a nucleation region of the layer, and growing the crystal nuclei to form an organic solid crystal (OSC) thin film. A chiral molecule-containing organic solid crystal thin film may have a refractive index and birefringence that can be actively tuned via charge injection. An organic solid crystal (OSC) thin film including a single enantiomer of a chiral organic molecule may be configured to propagate a selected handedness of circularly polarized light.

Growth of single crystal epitaxial films of the perovskite crystal structure by liquid- or vapor-phase means can be accomplished by providing single-crystal perovskite substrate materials of improved lattice parameter match in the lattice parameter range of interest. Current substrates do not provide as good a lattice match, have inferior properties, or are of limited size and availability because cost of materials and difficulty of growth. This problem is solved by the single-crystal perovskite solid solutions described herein grown from mixtures with an indifferent melting point that occurs at a congruently melting composition at a temperature minimum in the melting curve in the pseudo-binary molar phase diagram. Accordingly, single-crystal perovskite solid solutions, structures, and devices including single-crystal perovskite solid solutions, and methods of making single-crystal perovskite solid solutions are described herein.

Growth of single crystal epitaxial films of the perovskite crystal structure by liquid- or vapor-phase means can be accomplished by providing single-crystal perovskite substrate materials of improved lattice parameter match in the lattice parameter range of interest. Current substrates do not provide as good a lattice match, have inferior properties, or are of limited size and availability because cost of materials and difficulty of growth. This problem is solved by the single-crystal perovskite solid solutions described herein grown from mixtures with an indifferent melting point that occurs at a congruently melting composition at a temperature minimum in the melting curve in the pseudo-binary molar phase diagram. Accordingly, single-crystal perovskite solid solutions, structures, and devices including single-crystal perovskite solid solutions, and methods of making single-crystal perovskite solid solutions are described herein.

A single-crystal diamond having an X-ray diffraction rocking curve with a half-width of 20 seconds or less, wherein the half-width of the X-ray diffraction rocking curve is measured with CuK? radiation in a (004) plane parallel arrangement using a diamond crystal as a first crystal in X-ray diffraction by a double-crystal method, a peak at a Raman shift in the range of 1332 cm.sup.?1 to 1333 cm.sup.?1 in a Raman spectrum has a half-width of 2.0 cm.sup.?1 or less, the single-crystal diamond has an etch-pit density of 10,000/cm.sup.2 or less, the etch-pit density is measured in an etching test, and the single-crystal diamond has a nitrogen content of more than 0.1 ppm and 50 ppm or less based on the number of atoms.

A single-crystal diamond having an X-ray diffraction rocking curve with a half-width of 20 seconds or less, wherein the half-width of the X-ray diffraction rocking curve is measured with CuK? radiation in a (004) plane parallel arrangement using a diamond crystal as a first crystal in X-ray diffraction by a double-crystal method, a peak at a Raman shift in the range of 1332 cm.sup.?1 to 1333 cm.sup.?1 in a Raman spectrum has a half-width of 2.0 cm.sup.?1 or less, the single-crystal diamond has an etch-pit density of 10,000/cm.sup.2 or less, the etch-pit density is measured in an etching test, and the single-crystal diamond has a nitrogen content of more than 0.1 ppm and 50 ppm or less based on the number of atoms.

Disclosed are methods and mask structures for epitaxially growing substantially defect-free semiconductor material. In some embodiments, mask structure includes a first level defining a first trench extending through the first level, wherein a bottom of the first trench is defined by a semiconductor substrate, and a second level on top of the first level, wherein the second level defines a plurality of second trenches positioned at a non-zero angle with respect to the first trench.

Disclosed are methods and mask structures for epitaxially growing substantially defect-free semiconductor material. In some embodiments, mask structure includes a first level defining a first trench extending through the first level, wherein a bottom of the first trench is defined by a semiconductor substrate, and a second level on top of the first level, wherein the second level defines a plurality of second trenches positioned at a non-zero angle with respect to the first trench.