LPE grown, substituted YIG crystals have coercivities (H
c) in the 10
-1Oe range, depending on compositions and growth conditions. Dislocations, inclusions and surfaces cannot be fully responsible for the observed H
c. TEM investigations of CaGeSmYIG films have revealed a periodically modulated stress field that - via magnetostrictive stresses - may explain the FMR line broadening and the measured H
c. Stresses of 10
7dyne cm
-2and

with a periodicity of 500 Å produce

Oe corresponding to a periodic fluctuation of Sm or Ca-Ge content by 1-3%. The mechanism, thought to be the spinodal decomposition of the garnet, causes FMR line broadening up to 200-300 Oe, i.e. more than the relaxation of Sm
3+ions.