Yttrium Iron Garnet Films (YIG)
Single crystalline ferrimagnetic materials such as yttrium iron garnet (YIG) and its isovalent-substituted homologues are used for microwave components due to their very low microwave losses. Epitaxial YIG films can be used for example for electronically tunable delay lines and phase shifters, which require film thicknesses in the micrometer range. Further fields of application could be integrated non-reciprocal components such as magneto-optical isolators and circulators as well as Bragg cell modulators for integrated optics.
At present, international efforts are being made to develop these isolator films as a promising base material for spin wave devices (YIG magnonics) with micro- and nanostructures (nano-magnonics) in information processing and to link them with electronic and spin electronic elements via suitable interfaces. The miniaturization of these components requires film thicknesses in the sub-micrometer range.
With our LPE growth technology we are able to fabricate epitaxial yttrium iron garnet films in the micrometer as well as in the sub-micrometer range and to develop customized functional layers by suitable substitution.
| YIG, Wafer level | 1 inch | 3 inch |
|---|---|---|
| YIG on GGG substrate | Epitaxial grown single crystalline | yttrium iron garnet |
| thickness (submicrometer range) | 100 nm, 200 nm | 100 nm, 200 nm |
| thickness (micrometer range) | 1 µm, 5 µm, 10 µm | 1 µm, 2 µm |
| Surface roughness (RMS) | < 0.5 nm | < 0.5 nm |
| FMR linewidth (FWHM) | < 2 Oe (@10 GHz) | < 2 Oe (@10 GHz) |
| Thickness variation (80%, central) | < 1.5 % | < 0.7 % |
| Polishing | Two- and one-sided-coated | Two- and one-sided-coated |
| GGG thickness (substrate) | 0.5 ± 0.05 mm | 0.5 ± 0.05 mm |
