Iron Garnet single crystals like Bi₃Fe₅O₁₂ are important ceramic systems with extensive applications in structural ceramics and optoelectronics. Currently, it is desirable to integrate such macroscopic components on a single chip (e.g. Si, SiO₂, ...) as in the case of microelectronics (integrated optics). High quality magneto-optical active garnet films with high Faraday rotation are also needed for magneto-optical imaging.
In our present work we studied the integration of Bi₃Fe₅O₁₂ on different SiO₂ substrates using the pulsed laser deposition method. Therefore we deposited a Y₃Fe₅O₁₂ buffer first which was optimized in a post-annealing step above 900 °C in order to form a polycrystalline garnet phase, which is needed for further Bi₃Fe₅O₁₂ growth.
We measured the Faraday rotation of the films and intensely studied them with x-ray diffraction, Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy, Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy. The attained Faraday rotation can be compared with epitaxial Bi₃Fe₅O₁₂ films grown on Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂ substrates.
Finally we present an easy solution to generate linear polarized light on the substrate by an organic light emitting diode, which can be coupled into to the garnet thin film.