LAUSR

Abstract Highly transparent Yb:TbVO 4 single crystal with dimensions of O27 × 41 mm 3 alomost without scattering defects has been successfully grown by Czochralski technique. The spectra, thermal properties and laser-induced damage threshold were investigated in detailed. The Faraday rotation (FR) measurement was carried out by means of extinction method. The Verdet constant comes up to 80 rad m −1  T −1 at 1064 nm, significantly larger than TbVO 4 (58 rad m −1  T −1 ) and TGG (40 rad m −1  T −1 ) reported. Meanwhile, the as-grown crystal presents lower absorption coefficient and higher magneto-optical figure of merit at measured wavelength in comparison with TGG. Moreover, the crystal exhibits a substantially improved extinction ratio (42 dB) in contrast with TbVO 4 (29 dB), and exceeds the highest value of TGG (40 dB). These advantages make Yb:TbVO 4 a highly promising magneto-optical material candidate for optical isolators in the visible-near infrared region.