The liquid phase epitaxy growth and characterization of single crystal (210)-oriented thin garnet films with Bi substitution up to 1.5at.∕f.u. is reported. These epitaxial films exhibit an easy plane of magnetization which is inclined with respect to the film plane, making them uniquely suitable for garnet-based magneto-optic imagers (MOIs). In order to identify the optimal growth conditions to attain the highest sensitivity of such MOIs, the chemical composition of the films is discussed in relation with their magnetic and optic properties. It has been demonstrated that the increase in the amount of Pr tends to increase the in-plane orthorhombic anisotropy field HKi, while the rare-earth substitution by Bi has a strong effect on the canted orthorhombic anisotropy Kyz. The best MOI film had a saturation field of 130Oe and a sensitivity of 175deg∕A.

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A magnetic-field sensor is proposed that uses thin garnet films with in-plane magnetization and strong magneto-optical activity. The advantages of this sensor are its high intrinsic sensitivity and the possibility of tailoring the field range for linear response. Measurements at 80 Hz yield noise-equivalent magnetic fields of 1.5μT∕Hz and a signal-to-noise ratio of 68 dB.

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The liquid phase epitaxy growth of single-crystal iron garnet thin films of composition Gd3−x−yLuxBiyFe5−zGazO12 is discussed. The Bi, Lu, and Gd contents are identified for which the garnet films have in-plane magnetization as well as sufficiently large Faraday rotation and can be grown at relatively small melt undercooling temperatures. The results of extensive characterization of the magnetic and optical properties of these garnet films as a function of melt compositions and undercooling are reported.