Ultra-low damping in lift-off structured yttrium iron garnet thin films

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a method to produce yttrium iron garnet thin films with ultra-low magnetic damping using lift-off and photolithography, enabling high-quality magnonic and spintronic devices.

Contribution

It introduces a novel fabrication process for ultra-low damping yttrium iron garnet films with high structural quality and sharp edges.

Findings

Gilbert damping parameter as low as 5x10^-4

Films exhibit high crystalline quality and low surface roughness

Structures are suitable for magnonic and spintronic applications

Abstract

We show that using maskless photolithography and the lift-off technique, patterned yttrium iron garnet thin films possessing ultra-low Gilbert damping can be accomplished. The films of 70 nm thickness were grown on (001)-oriented gadolinium gallium garnet by means of pulsed laser deposition, and they exhibit high crystalline quality, low surface roughness, and the effective magnetization of 127 emu/cm3. The Gilbert damping parameter is as low as 5x10-4. The obtained structures have well-defined sharp edges which along with good structural and magnetic film properties pave a path in the fabrication of high-quality magnonic circuits and oxide-based spintronic devices.