Abstract
Bismuth substituted gadolinium iron garnet thin films (BixGd3-xFe5O12) were prepared with x = 1, 2, and 2.5 on glass substrates by enhanced metal organic decomposition (EMOD) method. We mixed the solution containing Fe2O3, Bi2O3 and Gd2O3 carboxylates so that we could obtain desired Bi content x. X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical transmittance / reflectivity, and Faraday rotation (FR) were measured for characterizations in order to examine their dependence on annealing temperatures and different amount of Bismuth substitution (x). When BixGd3-xFe5O12 thin films were directly prepared on glass substrates, Bi2O3 phase were observed by XRD measurements and with increasing Bi content x from 1 to 2, the FR increased from 1.2 to 5.8 deg./μm at the wavelength of 530 nm. FR of Bi2.5Gd0.5Fe5O12 thin films prepared directly on glass substrates were smaller (0.35 deg./μm) than those with x = 2. When Bi2.5Gd0.5Fe5O12 thin films were prepared with annealing temperature of 620°C with Gd3Fe5O12 buffer layer on glass substrates, the films showed garnet crystal structure and FR, which is comparable with that of Bi2.5Gd0.5Fe5O12 thin films prepared on (111) (GdCa)3(GaMgZr)5O12 (SGGG) single crystal substrates. These results demonstrate that BixGd3-xFe5O12 thin films can be prepared on glass substrates with controlled Bi content and that FR as high as that prepared on the SGGG substrate can be obtained by the EMOD method.
