New Insights into Advanced Optical and Magnetic Materials

Optical and Magneto-Optical Properties of Pulsed Laser Deposited Thulium Iron Garnet Thin Films

A recent study published in the journal of Applied Research  has unveiled fascinating insights into the properties of Thulium Iron Garnet (TmIG) thin films, which could pave the way for advancements in optical and magnetic technologies. The team of scientists behind the study hails from various research institutes in Germany, namely: the Chemnitz University of Technology, the University of Augsburg, the Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nanosystems, the University of Leipzig and the TU Bergakademie Freiberg. The study focused on TmIG films grown on specialized substrates using a technique called pulsed laser deposition.

The team employed various cutting-edge techniques to examine how these films interact with light and their magnetic characteristics. They employed spectroscopic ellipsometry, transmission spectroscopy, magneto-optical Kerr effect spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy to analyze TmIG films with thicknesses ranging from 20 nm to 300 nm. The Raman spectra were acquired with a ×100 microscope objective using the 514.7 nm line of a Cobolt laser with a laser power of 5 mW.

The study highlights strain-induced changes in the TmIG films as a function of their thickness, using magneto-optical and Raman spectroscopy.

This research enhances our understanding of TmIG thin films and their potential applications in future optical and magnetic devices.