Mechanical Preparation of Gd₃Ga₅0₁₂ and Various Electronic Materials by Vibratory Polishing Techniques

Abstract

The use of gadolinium gallium garnet - Gd₂Ga₅0₁₂ “GGG”- single-crystal wafers as substrates for epitaxial thin films requires the preparation of surfaces that are flat, free of scratches and pits, and with minimal residual surface strain. These requirements must be achieved both for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and liquid phase epitaxial (LPE) deposition of rare-earth magnetic oxides. The procedure described in this paper is basic to the preparation of many types of electronics materials, including ceramic oxide crystals and semiconductors. GGG was selected as an example due to its intermediate hardness and the current interest in the material for magnetic bubble-domain memory devices.