Iron Garnet Research Articles

Magnetic control of phonon transport in magnetic insulator thulium iron garnet

The coupling between magnons and phonons and the associated phenomena have long been a focus of research in condensed matter physics. Contrary to its recognized role in magnon relaxation, its impact on phonon transport remains largely unexplored. Here, we fill this gap by investigating the effect of magnon-phonon coupling on phonon excitation, relaxation, and transport with magneto-optical reflectometry. Through simultaneous measurements of magnon and phonon populations in magnetic insulator thulium iron garnet, we observe the excitation of excessive phonons driven by non-equilibrium magnons, demonstrating the magnetic control of phonons. Furthermore, our time-resolved experiments reveal the magnetic field-dependent phononic thermal conductivity, signaling the potential of magnetic manipulation of heat transport. Our finding indicates that phonons can be controlled by magnetic means through magnon-phonon coupling and thereby opens a new avenue to harness magneto-thermoelectric effects in magnetic insulators.

Generation and enhancement of sum sideband in a magnon Kerr nonlinearity assisted optomechanical system

Abstract A theoretical scheme to enhance the sum sideband generation (SSG) via magnon Kerr nonlinearity assisted optomechanical system is proposed. In this scheme, the yttrium iron garnet sphere is placed within the cavity system and the frequency components are generated at the sum sideband through optomechanical nonlinear interaction and cavity-magnon linear coupling interaction. The results show that the efficiency of SSG can be enhanced by several orders of magnitude, and the gain in SSG efficiency also varies. The dependence of SSG on the system parameters, including the power of the control field, the frequency detuning of the probe fields and the coupling strengths between the optomechanical coupling and the cavity-magnon coupling is analyzed in detail. The change of SSG by varying the optomechanical coupling strength and cavity-magnon coupling strength is also investigated, and it is found that new matching conditions are generated. The enhanced SSG method may have potential application prospects in realizing the measurement of high-precision weak forces, quantum information processing and quantum-sensitive sensing.

Nanoscale Ga/Al substituted yttrium iron garnet films by liquid phase epitaxy

Yttrium iron garnet (YIG) has minimum damping factor and low ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) linewidth, making it a preferred material for low loss microwave and spintronic devices. The saturation magnetization of YIG is 1750 Gauss, and for low-frequency devices, a lower saturation magnetization is more suitable. Ga3+ and Al3+ are with smaller radii and non-magnetic moment, so the substitution of Ga3+ and Al3+ can decrease saturation magnetization. Here, 4.8–193.7 nm ultra-thin Y3(GaAlFe)5O12 garnet (GaAl-YIG) monocrystalline films are prepared on gadolinium gallium garnet (GGG) substrates by using the liquid-phase epitaxy (LPE) method. As expected, these films exhibit a low saturation magnetization of almost less than 100 Gauss, while their FMR linewidth remains at levels close to that of YIG. The films show a (111) orientation and in a state of tension, and the diffraction intensity of the films get stronger as films thickness increases. The free energy and density of states are calculated for different Ga/Al substitution position by density functional theory simulations. The elements show a different diffusion distance in the GaAl-YIG/GGG interface, and the variation of magnetization properties with interface width are analyzed. The surface roughness of the films is only a few angstroms. The damping factor of these ultra-thin films are on an order of 10−4 except the 4.8 nm film, which suggests that the minimum thickness of the garnet film with good performance by using the LPE method is about 10 nm. According to the analysis of structure and magnetization properties, it demonstrates that the LPE method has potential to provide nanoscale garnet films for low loss microwave and spintronic devices.

Spatially extended nonlinear generation of short-wavelength spin waves in yttrium iron garnet nanowaveguides

Spatially extended nonlinear generation of short-wavelength spin waves in yttrium iron garnet nanowaveguides

Structure, Optical Properties and Magnetocaloric Effects in Gd3Fe5O12 Garnet Synthesized by Solid State Method

In this work, gadolinium iron garnet (Gd3Fe5O12) was synthesized using the solid-state ceramic method. The structural analysis, confirmed through Rietveld refinement, indicated the formation of a single-phase garnet structure. Scanning electron microscopy studies revealed uniform grain size and homogeneity in the sintered material, while UV-vis absorption studies showed a peak at 300 nm, indicating strong ultraviolet interaction and an optical band gap of 3.64 eV, suggesting optoelectronic potential. The fluorescence emission spectrum shows a band at 435 nm, while the excitation spectrum exhibits bands at 275 and 360 nm. The magnetic measurements demonstrated Gd ion ordering at low temperatures, with a compensation temperature around 290 K. Arrott plots confirmed the second-order magnetic phase transition. Importantly, Gd3Fe5O12 exhibited both normal and inverse magnetocaloric effects, with a maximum magnetic entropy change of 1.05 J kg–1 K–1 at 230 K under 9 T magnetic field. These properties indicate Gd3Fe5O12 material as a promising candidate for magnetic refrigeration and optoelectronic applications.

Epitaxial Thin Film Growth on Recycled SrTiO3 Substrates Toward Sustainable Processing of Complex Oxides.

Complex oxide thin films cover a range of physical properties and multifunctionalities that are critical for logic, memory, and optical devices. Typically, the high-quality epitaxial growth of these complex oxide thin films requires single crystalline oxide substrates such as SrTiO3 (STO), MgO, LaAlO3, a-Al2O3, and many others. Recent successes in transferring these complex oxides as free-standing films not only offer great opportunities in integrating complex oxides on other devices, but also present enormous opportunities in recycling the deposited substrates after transfer for cost-effective and sustainable processing of complex oxide thin films. In this work, the surface modification effects introduced on the recycled STO are investigated, and their impacts on the microstructure and properties of subsequently grown epitaxial oxide thin films are assessed and compared with those grown on the pristine substrates. Detailed analyses using high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy and geometric phase analysis demonstrate distinct strain states on the surfaces of the recycled STO versus the pristine substrates, suggesting a pre-strain state in the recycled STO substrates due to the previous deposition layer. These findings offer opportunities in growing highly mismatched oxide films on the recycled STO substrates with enhanced physical properties. Specifically, yttrium iron garnet (Y3Fe5O12) films grown on recycled STO present different ferromagnetic responses compared to that on the pristine substrates, underscoring the effects of surface modification. The study demonstrates the feasibility of reuse and redeposition using recycled substrates. Via careful handling and preparation, high-quality epitaxial thin films can be grown on recycled substrates with comparable or even better structural and physical properties toward sustainable process of complex oxide devices.

Quantitative magnetooptical analysis using indicator films for the detection of magnetic field distributions, temperature, and electrical currents

The accurate characterization of local magnetic fields and temperature is vital for the design of electronic systems. To meet this imperative, we present a novel non-contact approach for simultaneous quantitative magnetic field imaging and temperature sensing using magnetooptics and a bismuth-doped yttrium iron garnet film with out-of-plane anisotropy. For the direct signal quantification, a Stokes polarization camera is employed in a conventional magnetooptical microscope. The magnetization in the garnet is modulated with an external magnetic field to continuously image the Faraday rotation at four distinct points along the saturating magnetization loop. The method enables sensing of the magnetooptical signal in saturation, the magnetooptical susceptibility, the temperature, and self-calibrated driftfree imaging of the out-of-plane magnetic field component. A spatial resolution of magnetic field in the micrometer range with millisecond exposure time is demonstrated. The method is verified by analyzing the stray magnetic field distribution of electrical current in a wire simultaneously to the Joule heating induced by the applied current.

Integrated non-reciprocal magneto-optics with ultra-high endurance for photonic in-memory computing

AbstractProcessing information in the optical domain promises advantages in both speed and energy efficiency over existing digital hardware for a variety of emerging applications in artificial intelligence and machine learning. A typical approach to photonic processing is to multiply a rapidly changing optical input vector with a matrix of fixed optical weights. However, encoding these weights on-chip using an array of photonic memory cells is currently limited by a wide range of material- and device-level issues, such as the programming speed, extinction ratio and endurance, among others. Here we propose a new approach to encoding optical weights for in-memory photonic computing using magneto-optic memory cells comprising heterogeneously integrated cerium-substituted yttrium iron garnet (Ce:YIG) on silicon micro-ring resonators. We show that leveraging the non-reciprocal phase shift in such magneto-optic materials offers several key advantages over existing architectures, providing a fast (1 ns), efficient (143 fJ per bit) and robust (2.4 billion programming cycles) platform for on-chip optical processing.

Unconventional magnon blockade in a dissipative photon–magnon coupling system

We investigate unconventional magnon blockade (UMB) in a dissipative photon–magnon coupling cavity, where the coherent and dissipative coupling between photon and magnon can be adjusted by the position of the yttrium iron garnet sphere in the cavity. An approximate analytical solution for the statistical property of magnon is provided, which is in good agreement with the results obtained by numerically solving the Lindblad master equation. Our results indicate that UMB can be achieved in the case of dissipative photon–magnon coupling, but not in the case of coherent photon–magnon coupling. Secondly, by adjusting the amplitude of the external laser field, dynamic control of UMB can be achieved. Finally, by solving the Lindblad master equation containing the occupation number of thermal magnon and photon, the statistical properties of magnons will transition from nonclassical to classical. It is shown that the above phenomena originate from the interference between different quantum paths. Our research may provide theoretical possibilities for quantum manipulation schemes at the single-magnon level and open up a new avenue for designing single-magnon sources in a dissipative photon–magnon coupling system.

Temperature-Dependent Surface Anisotropy in (110) Epitaxial Rare Earth Iron Garnet Films.

Ferrimagnetic oxide thin films are important material platforms for spintronic devices. Films grown on low symmetry orientations such as (110) exhibit complex anisotropy landscapes that can provide insight into novel phenomena such as spin-torque auto-oscillation and spin superfluidity. Using spin-Hall magnetoresistance measurements, the in-plane (IP) and out-of-plane (OOP) uniaxial anisotropy energies are determined for a thickness series (5-50nm) of europium iron garnet (EuIG) and thulium iron garnet (TmIG) films epitaxially grown on a gadolinium gallium substrate with (110) orientation and capped with Pt. Pt/EuIG/GGG exhibits an (001) easy plane of magnetization perpendicular to the substrate, whereas Pt/TmIG/GGG exhibits an (001) hard plane of magnetization perpendicular to the substrate with an IP easy axis. Both IP and OOP surface anisotropy energies comparable in magnitude to the bulk anisotropy are observed. The temperature dependence of the surface anisotropies is consistent with first-order predictions of a simplified Néel surface anisotropy model. By taking advantage of the thickness and temperature dependence demonstrated in these ferrimagnetic oxides grown on the low symmetry (110) orientations, the complex anisotropy landscapes can be tuned to act as a platform to explore rich spin textures and dynamics.

Modulating nonreciprocal transmission in levitated magnomechanical systems

In this paper, we propose a model of a dual cavity magnomechanical system with two levitated yttrium iron garnet spheres to investigate nonreciprocal transmission of a microwave field. We use an external Coulomb force to bias the steady-state position of the sphere levitated in each microwave cavity, thereby establishing an independent and controllable effective couplings between the cavity modes and the magnon modes. This can break the symmetry of the system and serve as the basis for nonreciprocal transmission in this system. We demonstrated how to achieve the system nonreciprocity with an extremely high isolation ratio and flexible controllability by appropriately selecting the suspended positions of the levitated spheres, which are related to the external bias forces. We also analyze in detail the influence of the cavity detunings and the driving power on the bias-force-induced nonreciprocity. Our study provides an effective approach to manipulating flexibly nonreciprocal transmission of a microwave field and may have potential implications for the development of future nonreciprocal transmission devices.

Magnetic-field controlled on-off switchable non-reciprocal negative refractive index in non-Hermitian photon-magnon hybrid systems

Photon-magnon coupling, where electromagnetic waves interact with spin waves, and negative refraction, which bends the direction of electromagnetic waves unnaturally, constitute critical foundations and advancements in the realms of optics, spintronics, and quantum information technology. Here, we explore a magnetic-field-controlled, on-off switchable, non-reciprocal negative refractive index within a non-Hermitian photon-magnon hybrid system. By integrating an yttrium iron garnet film with an inverted split-ring resonator, we discover pronounced negative refractive index driven by the system’s non-Hermitian properties. This phenomenon exhibits unique non-reciprocal behavior dependent on the signal’s propagation direction. Our analytical model sheds light on the crucial interplay between coherent and dissipative coupling, significantly altering permittivity and permeability’s imaginary components, crucial for negative refractive index’s emergence. This work pioneers new avenues for employing negative refractive index in photon-magnon hybrid systems, signaling substantial advancements in quantum hybrid systems.

Bragg resonances in the yttrium iron garnet – platinum – yttrium iron garnet layered structure

We studied theoretically the interaction between the spin current in a conductor with a strong spin-orbit coupling (platinum, Pt) and the spin wave in yttrium iron garnet ferromagnetic layers (YIG) with periodic thickness modulation under conditions of Bragg resonances and interlayer coupling. It is shown that in the YIG/Pt/YIG sandwich structure the conditions for two Bragg resonances in the first Brillouin area in the spin wave spectrum are fulfilled. The spin current in Pt allows frequency tuning of the resonances and control the depth of the spin wave band gap corresponding to the resonance conditions.

Breaking Surface-Plasmon Excitation Constraint via Surface Spin Waves.

Surface plasmons in two-dimensional (2D) electron systems have attracted great attention for their promising light-matter applications. However, the excitation of a surface plasmon, in particular, transverse-electric (TE) surface plasmon, remains an outstanding challenge due to the difficulty to conserve energy and momentum simultaneously in the normal 2D materials. Here we show that the TE surface plasmons ranging from gigahertz to terahertz regime can be effectively excited and manipulated in a hybrid dielectric, 2D material, and magnet structure. The essential physics is that the surface spin wave supplements an additional freedom of surface plasmon excitation and thus greatly enhances the electric field in the 2D medium. Based on widely used magnetic materials like yttrium iron garnet and manganese difluoride, we further show that the plasmon excitation manifests itself as a measurable dip in the reflection spectrum of the hybrid system while the dip position and the dip depth can be well controlled by an electric gating on the 2D layer and an external magnetic field. Our findings should bridge the fields of low-dimensional physics, plasmonics, and spintronics and open a novel route to integrate plasmonic and spintronic devices.

Three-cavity system with multiple magnomechanically induced transparency

This paper presents the characteristics of a weak probe field in a three-connected cavity system. In this system, a microwave cavity contains a yittrium iron garnet sphere that is driven by a strong pump and a weak probe optical fields, and the magnon is driven by a weak microwave source. The other two cavities are empty and are coupled to the first cavity with specific coupling strengths. This setup leads to the observation of multiple magnomechanically induced transparency phenomena by varying quantum parameters g ma, g mb, and the coupling strengths between cavities J 1 and J 2. The study of these phenomena in the three coupled cavities can potentially contribute to advancements in quantum transduction and future technologies.

Carbon nanotube-Yttrium iron garnet nanohybrid synthesized via chemical vapor deposition and its potential application in fabricated screen-printed patch antenna

Carbon nanotube-Yttrium iron garnet (CNT-YIG) nanohybrid has been successfully synthesized using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) with yttrium iron garnet (YIG) nanopowders as catalyst, ethanol as carbon stock, and argon as carrier gas. Carbon nanotube (CNT) was observed to have grown from the YIG nanopowders with bamboo-like structures of CNT at a synthesis temperature of 900 °C. FESEM and RAMAN characterization indicated that the CNT-YIG nanohybrid exhibited the growth of bamboo-like CNT with high graphitization. Further analysis of electrical properties showed that the CNT-YIG nanohybrid has exhibited conductivity due to the CNT growth. The nanohybrid in the form of powders was then mixed with an organic vehicle to produce thick film paste and screen-printed onto a substrate as working material for patch antenna application. Initial measurements using VNA indicated that CNT-YIG nanohybrid gave significant results regarding return loss and bandwidth, proving that the materials could have great potential to enhance patch antenna performance due to their combined electrical and magnetic properties.

Magnonic noise in the parametric spin-wave pumping process

This study investigates magnonic noise in the context of parametric spin-wave pumping in a yttrium iron garnet waveguide. By analyzing the input power dependence of parametric spin-wave spectra, we observed spectrum broadening and the emergence of additional pumping channels. A threshold power of 99.9 mW was determined based on spin-wave voltage. To elucidate magnon dynamics beyond the threshold, magnonic noise was examined, revealing its greater sensitivity to magnon scattering compared to spin-wave voltage. The detection of four-magnon scattering and its power-dependent behavior provides further insights into magnon interactions. Our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of magnon dynamics in parametric pumping, a critical process in magnonics.

Thermomagnetic recording of highly Bi-substituted iron garnet film using scanning laser for spatial light modulation

Spatial light modulations (SLM) utilizing the magneto-optical (MO) effect of magnetic materials are expected to offer fast switching and small pixel sizes as small as the wavelength of the light. However, the small MO effect is a major issue. In this paper, we report a thermomagnetic recording of highly bismuth-substituted garnet film, known for large Faraday effects. Y0.5Bi2.5Fe4GaO12 (Bi,Ga:YIG) film with a Faraday rotation of −4.66 degrees was used as an MO medium. A laser scanning thermomagnetic recording system using a Galvanometer mirror was developed and the size and quality of recorded magnetic domains were investigated. The smallest recorded magnetic domain diameter was 0.62 μm with a small standard deviation of 0.09 μm. Line patterns with a width of 1 μm can be recorded in this film. We found that Bi,Ga:YIG films have potential as a material for SLMs with fast switching, submicron pixel size, and large MO effect.

Synthesis of nanosized phases with a garnet structure using supercritical СО2 fluid

A method was developed for the production of nanosized complex oxides and oxysulfides. The first stage uses supercritical СО2 fluid (SAS – supercritical antisolvent method). This approach makes it possible to obtain precursor-free complex oxides in a narrow nanoscale range. Nanosized rare-earth iron garnets with the general formula R3Fe5O12, where R is a rare earth element, were obtained and studied by physicochemical methods. The resulting samples have a size of less than 100 nm, exhibit ferromagnetic ordering, and can be used as soft magnetic materials. The multi-stage method for the preparation of complex oxysulfides was not previously demonstrated anywhere in the literature. The method involves three stages. At the first stage, a nanosized X-ray amorphous solid solution of the original salts is obtained using the SAS method. Then a nanosized X-ray amorphous component – the oxide phase – is obtained by annealing in a furnace. After this, the resulting oxide phase is mixed with the disulfide of a transition element (Nb, Mo), and high-temperature annealing is performed in an evacuated quartz ampoule. As a result, compact and nanosized phases of the composition Eu3Fe5-3/2xMox□1/2xO12-2xS2x and Eu3Fe5-3/2xNbx□1/2xO12-2xS2x, where x = 0.15, were obtained for the first time. The introduction of the sulfide component, namely NbS2, into the garnet structure increases its magnetic parameters by the factor of 1.5.

Optical frequency combs and chaos in a hybrid atom–cavity optomagnonical system via the synergy of double-probe fields

We theoretically investigate the modulation of optical frequency combs and chaos by the synergy of double-probe fields in the hybrid atom–cavity optomagnonical system consisting of a yttrium iron garnet sphere, a two-level atom, and a tapered fiber. Our results show that in the case of a single-probe field, the atom-optical mode coupling strength and amplitude strength of the probe field can effectively modify the tooth spacing (from one to one-half tooth spacing) of the optical frequency combs, as well as the entry or withdrawal of chaos. In a chaotic region, the relative phases between the control and probe fields can also be adjusted to withdraw chaotic motion. Moreover, we demonstrate the generation of hybridized fraction-order frequency combs via the synergy of double-probe fields, which is caused by the sum and difference frequency effects of sidebands. Interestingly, it is found that through the synergy of the double-probe fields, the system can enter a chaotic state under lower applied field intensity, which is modulated by the amplitude strengths and relative phases of the dual probe fields. In addition to providing insight into the characteristics of optical frequency combs and chaos in the hybrid atom–cavity optomagnonical system, our research may offer a new perspective for the development of precision measurements and secret information processing.