Magnetic Properties of Sol-gel Produced Cerium Substituted YIG Thin Film

Yttrium-iron garnet (YIG) and its substituted derivatives are highly preferred in many applications of magnetics due to their outstanding properties in RF circuits and magneto-optics. Cerium-substituted YIG (Ce:YIG) is a material with superior magneto-optical properties, making it a focus of ongoing research efforts. This study investigates Ce:YIG thin films deposited on $\mathrm{Si}(100)$ substrates using the sol-gel technique with a yttrium/cerium molar ratio of 2.8/0.2. The as-deposited film was heat-treated at $1000^{\circ} \mathrm{C}$ to obtain Ce:YIG film exhibiting optimal properties. The film thickness was measured to be 300 nm. A photoelastic modulator-based Kerr magneto-optical measurement setup was designed and used to characterize the films. The results of the magneto-optical setup were compared to the magnetic properties. Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) measurements were taken at angles between 30° and 90°. The analysis of the resonance angle dependence through FMR revealed the linewidth parameter ranging from 218.9 to 406.6 Oe. The FMR and magneto-optical results were discussed by comparing them to previously published ones. The results of the linewidth parameters are found to be larger than many YIG materials produced by other methods. The broader linewidth observed was attributed to crystallinity and impurities in the produced Ce:YIG thin film.