Influence of flux composition and growth temperature on the octahedral incorporation of rare-earth cations in rare-earth iron garnet

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Abstract
Epitaxial films of RE3Fe5O12, where RE is Y or Ho, or the combination of Y or Ho with another rare‐earth, were grown on (111) Gd3Ga5O12 substrates at nearly identical temperature from melts for which R3 = PbO/2B2O3 = 31.2, 7.4, or 5.0. The octahedral substitution for Fe was calculated from the Curie temperature and lattice constant. B2O3 was found to inhibit the octahedral substitution of rare‐earth cations. In the case of RE = Y or Ho, this substitution was RE0.055 in the formula unit at R3 = 31.2, and approximately RE0.040 at R3 = 5.0. Lu was found to have a five‐fold greater preference for octahedral substitution than Y or Ho. Octahedral preference was found to correlate well with ionic radius. Boron incorporation was small. Growth rate has a negligible effect on octahedral substitution, but reducing the growth temperature increases the octahedral substitution of rare‐earth by about one‐third percent per °C.