Attenuation layer for magnetostatic wave (MSW) absorbers

A new technique has been developed for the suppression of MSW end reflections which give rise to passband ripple. The basic idea is to provide a thin film of highly attenuating epitaxial material at the ends of a MSW delay line while preserving high quality YIG in the active region of the device. The GGG wafer preparation is a three step process which involves 1) the growth of the attenuation layer, 2) the removal of this layer from the central region of the wafer and 3) the growth of high quality YIG on the remaining structure. Delay lines using the attenuation layer for end terminations have been evaluated experimentally and compared to devices utilizing other termination methods. The results indicate that the attenuation layer method produces ripple suppression characteristics which are the equal of those obtained with other termination techniques. The advantage of this new method lies in its suitability for large quantity fabrication requirements.