Preparation and magneto-optic properties of Bi-substituted yttrium iron garnet thin films by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Abstract

Magneto-optic bismuth-substituted yttrium iron garnet thin films were epitaxially grown during deposition for the first time by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Triphenyl bismuth and both yttrium and iron tridipivaloylmethane were used as source materials. Prior to the preparation of garnet films, the deposition behavior of Y2O3, Fe2O3, and Bi2O3 films was examined separately. Epitaxially grown films were as-deposited on a Gd3Ga5O12(111) substrate at 750 °C under a reduced pressure of 6 Torr with a deposition rate of 200–500 Å/min, which is about 10 times faster than that obtained by the conventional sputtering method. A film with a bismuth content of 2.5 atoms per formula unit showed a large Faraday rotation, − 7.5 × 104 deg/cm at λ=633 nm, because of the high bismuth substitution and the crystalline perfection.