Structural , Magnetic , and Optical Properties of Orthoferrite Thin Films

Pulsed laser deposition was used to create thin films of Ce-Fe-O and Y-Fe-O systems. Deposition temperature and ambient oxygen pressure were varied systematically between samples to determine which deposition conditions were most favorable to the formation of cerium/yttrium orthoferrite. The structure and composition of each film were then determined using X-ray diffraction and wavelength dispersive spectroscopy respectively. In addition, the magnetic and optical properties of the yttrium films were characterized to determine the suitability of these materials as Faraday isolators at A=1550 nm. Results show that orthoferrite crystal structures in these systems are not stable in the temperature and oxygen ranges tested. It was also found that increasing oxygen pressure caused exponential decay in the deposition rate. Most films were amorphous, exhibiting a paramagnetic M-H plot and a Verdet coefficient between 0.37 and 0.89 deg cm1 Gauss1 Thesis Supervisor: Caroline Ross Title: Professor of Materials Science and Engineering