Work

Generation of gigahertz-frequency surface acoustic waves in Y 3 Fe 5 O 12 /ZnO heterostructures

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: We study surface acoustic waves (SAWs) in yttrium iron garnet (YIG)/zinc oxide (ZnO) heterostructures, comparing the results of a computationally lightweight analytical model with time-resolved microfocused Brillouin light scattering ( μ -BLS) data. Interdigital transducers (IDTs), with operational frequencies in the gigahertz regime, were fabricated on 50-nm and 100-nm thin films of YIG prior to sputter deposition of 830-nm and 890-nm films of piezoelectric ZnO. We find good agreement between our analytical model and μ -BLS data of the IDT frequency response and SAW group velocity, with clear differentiation between the Rayleigh-like and Sezawa-like modes. Finally, nonreciprocal coupling between SAWs and spin waves (SWs) is shown. This work paves the way for a detailed study of the interaction between SAWs and SWs in low SW damping YIG, with the possibility of a method for future energy-efficient SW excitation.

Source: Physical Review Applied

DOI: 10.1103/physrevapplied.23.034062