Microstructural characterization of sputtered garnet materials and all-garnet magnetic heterostructures: establishing the technology for magnetic photonic crystal fabrication

Abstract

We have established a set of technologies for the deposition and annealing of magneto-optic ferrite and paramagnetic garnets, as well as multilayer nanostructures which are based on these materials, for use in magnetic photonic crystals. Transmission electron microscope analysis has been performed to investigate the structure of both amorphous and crystallized garnet layers, nanocrystallites and layer interfaces within all-garnet heterostructures.