Magnetic and Magneto-optical Properties of CeYIG Thin Films Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition on Quartz Substrates.

We report the growth of Ce-substituted yttrium iron garnet (CeYIG) thin films deposited by pulsed laser deposition on quartz substrates. CeYIG exhibits a large Faraday rotation in the near-IR region. Upon investigating the phase composition and the magnetic and magneto-optical properties of the films, we present optimal process conditions for growing CeYIG thin films on quartz substrates. A saturation magnetization (Ms) as high as 159 emu/cm was achieved by depositing a Ce Y Fe O thin film at a substrate temperature of 650C and a 2-Hz laser pulse rate. Under the same depositing conditions, CeYIG thin films annealed at 800C for 40 min provided the largest Faraday rotation (FR) angle of −6000/cm by applying an out-of-plane magnetic field. Hence, CeYIG thin film materials show promise for magneto-optical and microwave communication applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]