Laser patterning of magnonic structure via local crystallization of Yittrium Iron Garnet

Abstract

The fabrication and integration of high-quality structures of Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG) is critical for magnonics.Films with excellent properties are obtained only on single crystal Gadolinium Gallium Garnet (GGG) substrates using high-temperature processes. The subsequent realization of magnonic structures via lithography and etching is not straightforward as it requires a tight control of the edge roughness, to avoid magnon scattering, and planarization in case of multilayer devices. In this work we describe a different approach based on local laser annealing of amorphous YIG films, avoiding the need for subjecting the entire sample to high thermal budgets and for physical etching. Starting from amorphous and paramagnetic YIG films grown by pulsed laser deposition at room temperature on GGG, a 405 nm laser is used for patterning arbitrary shaped ferrimagnetic structures by local crystallization. In thick films (160 nm) the laser induced surface corrugation prevents the propagation of spin-wave modes in patterned conduits. For thinner films (80 nm) coherent propagation is observed in 1.2 micron wide conduits displaying an attenuation length of 5 micron which is compatible with a damping coefficient of about 5e-3. Possible routes to achieve damping coefficients compatible with state-of-the art epitaxial YIG films are discussed.

arXiv comment29 pages, 6 figures, This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article: "Patterning magnonic structures via laser induced crystallization of Yittrium Iron Garnet", by A. Del Giacco et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202401129, which has been accepted for publication in Advanced Functional Materials

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Cited by in corpus (4)

• Three-dimensional nanoscale control of magnetism in crystalline Yttrium Iron Garnet
• Grayscale control of local magnetic properties with direct-write laser annealing
• Spin wave resonance in yttrium iron garnet stripe domains
• Generating unconventional spin-orbit torques with patterned phase gradients in tungsten thin films