LAUSR

Abstract The present work reports the preparation and magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) microscopy study of gadolinium iron garnet Gd 3 Fe 5 O 12 (GdIG) polycrystalline thin film. The GdIG thin film is grown on Si(0 0 1) by Pulsed laser deposition technique (PLD). Grazing angle X-ray diffraction confirms the formation of GdIG after ex-situ annealing at 750 ° C under ambient conditions. MOKE measurement done in both longitudinal and polar geometries shows oblique magnetic anisotropy axis at room temperature rather than either completely in-plane or out of plane anisotropy axis. Signatures of magnetic compensation are seen from the increase of coercive field obtained from temperature dependent MOKE measurements. The observation of magnetic compensation is also manifested by the inversion of MOKE loops. The magnetic domain structure shows the formation of bubble or maze-like domains with a considerable dependence on temperature. The observed domain size variation as a function of temperature is fitted considering the model for thermally activated behavior of domain size variation in rare-earth garnets.