25. Epitaxial Ce-doped yttrium iron garnet thin films

Z. Li, A. V. Singh, A. Rastogi, J. Gazquez, A. Y. Borisevich, R. Mishra, A. Gupta. Materials Research Express 4, 076101 (2017).

High-resolution structural characterization and magnetic properties of epitaxial Ce-doped yttrium iron garnet thin films.
Z. Li, A. V. Singh, A. Rastogi, J. Gazquez, A. Y. Borisevich, R. Mishra, A. Gupta. Materials Research Express 4, 076101 (2017).

Thin films of magnetic garnet materials, e.g. yttrium iron garnet (Y₃Fe₅O₁₂, YIG), are useful for a variety of applications including microwave integrated circuits and spintronics. Substitution of rare earth ions, such as cerium, is known to enhance the magneto-optic Kerr effect (MOKE) as compared to pure YIG. Thin films of Ce_0.75Y_2.25Fe₅O₁₂ (Ce:YIG) have been grown using the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique and their crystal structure examined using high resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. Homogeneous substitution of Ce in YIG, without oxidation to form a separate CeO₂ phase, can be realized in a narrow process window with resulting enhancement of the MOKE signal. The thermally generated signal due to spin Seebeck effect for the optimally doped Ce:YIG films has also been investigated.