OPTICAL MATERIAL AND PRODUCTION METHOD THEREFOR, AND LIGHT EMITTING DIODE, OPTICAL ISOLATOR, AND OPTICAL PROCESSING APPARATUS WHICH USE SAID OPTICAL MATERIAL

摘要

An optical material used in a UV-excited yellow light-emitting material and an optical isolator, capable of emitting yellow light stably and highly efficiently even if a large current is fed to obtain the high luminance emission, and a manufacturing method thereof; a light-emitting device capable of emitting high luminance yellow or white light highly efficiently and for a long time; an optical isolator; and an optical processing apparatus are provided. The optical material used for the UV-excited yellow light-emitting material (2) and the optical isolator (210) is an oxide containing Ce, which is a terbium cerium aluminum garnet type single crystal wherein a part of terbium of a terbium aluminum garnet type single crystal is substituted by cerium. The ratio of number of moles of cerium to the total number of moles of terbium and cerium, namely the composition ratio of cerium, preferably falls within the range from 0.01 mol% to 50 mol%. A part of aluminum may be substituted by scandium. The part of aluminum or a part of scandium may be substituted by any one of terbium, cerium, yttrium, lutetium, ytterbium, and thulium, or two or more of these elements.