Characterization of as-deposited and sintered yttrium iron garnet thick films formed by aerosol deposition

Abstract

We have employed the aerosol deposition method (ADM) to direct-write 39-µm-thick polycrystalline films of yttrium iron garnet at room temperature onto sapphire at a rate of 1–3 µm/min as a first step toward integration into microwave magnetic circuits. The resulting randomly oriented polycrystalline films are composed of fractured compact nanosized crystallites. Upon postdeposition sintering at 1280 °C the density and magnetic properties become closer to those of the bulk. These results suggest that the ADM shows promise for depositing very thick films at high deposition rates to produce structurally and magnetically uniform films that retain the structural properties of the starting powder.