Growth of magnetooptical cerium-substituted yttrium iron garnet on yttrium aluminum garnet using ion beam sputtering

Abstract

Cerium-substituted yttrium iron garnet (Ce:YIG, Ce0.9Y2.1Fe5O12) was epitaxially grown on a (111)-oriented yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) substrate using radio frequency ion beam sputtering. Magnetic hysteresis loops, transmissivity spectra, and magnetooptical (MO) responses, including Faraday rotation and Faraday ellipticity, were measured. The structural properties of the grown Ce:YIG were characterized using the x-ray rocking curve, reciprocal space map, pole figure, and x-ray reflectivity. X-ray photoelectron spectrometry revealed a dominant Ce3+ state in the grown Ce:YIG, but the transmission electron microscopy images showed columnar growth of Ce:YIG. This study demonstrates integration of epitaxial Ce:YIG on YAG, marking a significant step toward the fusion of MO garnets and laser crystals.