Compact Tunable YIG-based RF Resonators

We report on the design, fabrication, and characterization of compact tunable yttrium iron garnet (YIG) based RF resonators based on μm-sized spin-wave cavities. Inductive antennas with both ladder and meander configurations were used as transducers between spin waves and RF signals. The excitation of ferromagnetic resonance and standing spin waves in the YIG cavities led to sharp resonances with quality factors up to 350. The observed spectra were in excellent agreement with a model based on the spin-wave dispersion relations in YIG, showing a high magnetic field tunability of about 29 MHz/mT.