Magneto-Optic Optical Modulator

A multiplexing system for use with an optical communications network, the system comprising:

• a laser configured to emit an optical beam;
• a substrate comprising a non-ferromagnetic material;
• and
• two thin films disposed on the substrate, each thin film comprising a ferromagnetic semiconductor material;
• the two thin films responsive to an applied magnetic field such that varying the magnetic field varies the polarization of a portion of the optical beam reflecting from the surface of each of the two thin films;
• and
• two inducers disposed to independently drive the two thin films, such that the polarity of the portion of the optical beam reflecting from the surface of each of the two films may be independently selected;
• a beam splitter disposed to split the optical beam into a first portion and a second portion and to emit the first portion of the optical beam onto one of the two thin films and to emit the second portion of the optical beam onto the other thin film such that the first portion and the second portion reflect from a surface of the two thin films;
• and
• two modulators disposed to receive the first portion and the second portion after they have been reflected from the two thin films;
• wherein the first portion and the second portion of the optical beam are independently modulated by the two modulators.

A system for encoding data in the polarization of an optical beam, the system comprising:

• a laser configured to emit an optical beam;
• a substrate comprising a non-ferromagnetic material;
• and
• a thin film comprising a ferromagnetic semiconductor material disposed on the substrate;
• the thin film disposed on the substrate such that at least part of an optical beam incident on the thin film reflects off of a surface of the thin film;
• the thin film responsive to a magnetic field applied to the thin film such that varying the magnetic field varies the polarization of the light beam reflected off of the surface of the thin film;
• a coil configured to vary the magnetic field applied to the thin film between at least two values for the magnetic field;
• and
• electrical input to the coil, the electrical input representing a data stream with at least two discrete values;
• wherein the at least two discrete values of the electrical input to the coil correspond to the at least two values for the magnetic field, resulting in at least two discrete polarization states for the light beam reflected off of the surface of the thin film.