Magnetic studies of Ce4+ compensated Co-doped yttrium iron garnet thin film grown by chemical vapor deposition

A low pressure metalo-organic chemical vapor deposition (LPMOCVD) technique to form Co2+ and Ce4+ doped yttrium iron garnet (Y3-xCexFe5-xCoxO12: Co,Ce:YIG) films is described. A large concentration of Co2+ doping with x=0.3-0.7 results in uniaxial anisotropy perpendicular to the plane of the film with high coercivity values and sufficiently high saturation magnetization values. This has been possible by an alternate doping scheme where commonly used compensator, Ge4+ at Fe3+ sites has been replaced by a new compensator Ce4+ at Y3+ sites in the Go-doped YIG films. The structural and compositional aspect of stabilized garnet phase in Co2+,Ce4+:YIG thin films and optical, thermomagnetic and magnetic hysteresis properties are presented. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.