Exchange spin-wave propagation in Ga:YIG nanowaveguides

Abstract: Spin-wave-based computing has emerged as a promising approach to overcome the fundamental limitations of CMOS technologies. However, the increasing demand for device miniaturization down to a 100 nm scale presents significant challenges for long-distance spin-wave transport. Gallium-substituted yttrium iron garnet (Ga:YIG) offers a potential solution to these challenges due to its unique magnetic properties. The reduced saturation magnetization in Ga:YIG enables efficient excitation of exchange-dominated spin waves, which exhibit enhanced transport characteristics compared to dipolar-dominated modes in conventional materials. Here, we present the first comprehensive study combining experimental, analytical, and numerical investigations of spin-wave propagation in Ga:YIG waveguides down to 145 nm width and 73 nm thickness. Using micro-focused Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy, TetraX simulations, and analytical dispersion calculations, we demonstrate that Ga:YIG waveguides support spin waves with significantly higher group velocities up to 600 m/s. This value remains constant for structures with different widths, leading to longer spin-wave propagation lengths in nanowaveguides compared to non-substituted YIG. These results reveal that gallium substitution provides access to faster and longer-lived spin waves, opening new possibilities for implementing this material in nanoscale magnonic devices.