We report the fabrication of epitaxial ${\mathrm{Y}}_3\mathrm{F}{\mathrm{e}}_5{\mathrm{O}}_{12}$ (YIG) thin films on $\mathrm{G}{\mathrm{d}}_3\mathrm{G}{\mathrm{a}}_5{\mathrm{O}}_{12}$ (111) using a chemical solution method. Cubic YIG is a ferrimagnetic material at room temperature, with excellent magneto-optical properties, high electrical resistivity, and a very narrow ferromagnetic resonance, which makes it particularly suitable for applications in filters and resonators at microwave frequencies. But these properties depend on the precise stoichiometry and distribution of $\mathrm{F}{\mathrm{e}}^{3+}$ ions among the octahedral/tetrahedral sites of a complex structure, which hampered the production of high-quality YIG thin films by affordable chemical methods. Here we report the chemical solution synthesis of YIG thin films, with excellent chemical, crystalline, and magnetic homogeneity. The films show a very narrow ferromagnetic resonance (long spin relaxation time), comparable to that obtained from high-vacuum physical deposition methods. These results demonstrate that chemical methods can compete to develop nanometer-thick YIG films with the quality required for spintronic devices and other high-frequency applications.

• Received 13 September 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.1.074407