Liquid phase epitaxial growth of bismuth-containing garnet films

Claim 1

Method for making a magnetic device comprising a layer of garnet material which contains bismuth and which is epitaxially deposited on a surface of a supporting substrate, said method comprising heating a preferred melt consisting essentially of a garnet material which contains bismuth and a flux material at a temperature corresponding to supercooling of said garnet material, said flux material comprising lead oxide and bismuth oxide and chromium trioxide, the lead oxide being comprised in said flux material in an amount corresponding to an amount of PbO in the range of from 50 to 98 molecular percent, the bismuth oxide being comprised in said flux material in an amount corresponding to an amount of Bi 2 O 3 in the range of from 1 to 30 molecular percent, said chromium trioxide being comprised in said flux material in an amount corresponding to CrO 3 in the range of 1 to 20 molecular percent, bringing at least a surface of a substrate in contact with said melt, and removing said substrate from contact with said melt upon deposition of a layer of said garnet material on said surface, the degree of supercooling being chosen in combination with amount of said chromium trioxide so as to substantially achieve a desired level of magnetic anisotropy in said layer.