High Quality Yttrium Iron Garnet Grown by Room Temperature Pulsed Laser Deposition and Subsequent Annealing

TL;DR

This study demonstrates a method to produce high-quality epitaxial Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG) thin films at room temperature using pulsed laser deposition followed by annealing, resulting in ultra-low magnetic damping and narrow linewidths.

Contribution

It introduces a novel room-temperature deposition and annealing process for YIG thin films with record low damping and linewidths, surpassing previous methods.

Findings

Achieved epitaxial YIG films with exceptional structural and magnetic quality.

Recorded the lowest damping constants for PLD-grown thin films.

Demonstrated ultra-narrow FMR linewidths in thin YIG layers.

Abstract

We have investigated recrystallization of amorphous Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG) by annealing in oxygen atmosphere. Our findings show that well below the melting temperature the material transforms into a fully epitaxial layer with exceptional quality, both structural and magnetic.\\ In ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) ultra low damping and extremely narrow linewidth can be observed. For a 56 nm thick layer a damping constant of $\alpha$=(6.63$\pm$1.50)$\cdot$10$^{-5}$ is found and the linewidth at 9.6 GHz is as small as 1.30$\pm$0.05 Oe which are the lowest values for PLD grown thin films reported so far. Even for a 20 nm thick layer a damping constant of $\alpha$=(7.51$\pm$1.40)$\cdot$10$^{-5}$ is found which is the lowest value for ultrathin films published so far. The FMR linewidth in this case is 3.49$\pm$0.10 Oe at 9.6 GHz. Our results not only present a method of depositing thin film YIG of unprecedented quality but also open up new options for the fabrication of thin film complex oxides or even other crystalline materials.