Mode conversion from quantized to propagating spin waves in a rhombic antidot lattice supporting spin wave nanochannels

Abstract

We report spin wave excitations in a nanopatterned antidot lattice fabricated from a 30-nm thick Ni 80Fe 20 film. The 250-nm-wide circular holes are arranged in a rhombic unit cell with a lattice constant of 400 nm. By Brillouin light scattering, we find that quantized spin wave modes transform to propagating ones and vice versa by changing the in-plane orientation of the applied magnetic field H by 30. Spin waves of either negative or positive group velocity are found. In the latter case, they propagate in narrow channels exhibiting a width of below 100 nm. We use the plane wave method to calculate the spin wave dispersions for the two relevant orientations of H. The theory allows us to explain the wave-vector-dependent characteristics of the prominent modes. Allowed minibands are formed for selected modes only for specific orientations of H and wave vector. The results are important for applications such as spin wave filters and interconnected waveguides in the emerging field of magnonics where the control of spin wave propagation on the nanoscale is key. © 2012 American Physical Society.