Spin-Wave Optics in YIG by Ion-Beam Irradiation

TL;DR

This paper introduces a focused ion beam technique to precisely modify YIG films, enabling the creation of complex spin-wave-optic devices with minimal damage, advancing magnonic computing technology.

Contribution

It presents a novel ion-beam irradiation method for fabricating high-quality, submicron magnonic devices in YIG without material removal, facilitating complex spin-wave-optic architectures.

Findings

Demonstrated fabrication of magnonic lenses and gratings

Achieved controlled modification of magnonic index of refraction

Enabled rapid, high-quality device production with minimal edge damage

Abstract

We demonstrate direct focused ion beam (FIB) writing as an enabling technology for realizing spin-wave-optics devices. It is shown that ion-beam irradiation changes the characteristics of YIG films on a submicron scale in a highly controlled way, allowing to engineer the magnonic index of refraction adapted to desired applications. This technique does not physically remove material, and allows rapid fabrication of high-quality architectures of modified magnetization in magnonic media with minimal edge damage (compared to more common techniques such as etching or milling). By experimentally showing magnonic versions of a number of optical devices (lenses, gratings, Fourier-domain processors) we envision this technology as the gateway to building magnonic computing devices that rival their optical counterparts in their complexity and computational power.