Generation of gigahertz-frequency surface acoustic waves in Y3Fe5O12/ZnO heterostructures

Journal article

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.

Authors: Ryburn, F; Künstle, K; Zhang, Y; Kunz, Y; Reimann, T

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: American Physical Society
• Journal: Physical Review Applied
• Volume: 23
• Issue: 3
• Article number: 34062
• Publication date: 2025-03-24
• Acceptance date: 2025-02-24
• DOI: 10.1103/physrevapplied.23.034062
• EISSN: 2331-7019
• Language: English