Strong damping enhancement in nm-thick yttrium iron garnet (YIG) films due to Pt capping layers was observed. This damping is substantially larger than the expected damping due to conventional spin pumping, is accompanied by a shift in the ferromagnetic resonance field, and can be suppressed by the use of a Cu spacer in between the YIG and Pt films. The data indicate that such damping may originate from the ferromagnetic ordering in Pt atomic layers near the YIG/Pt interface and the dynamic exchange coupling between the ordered Pt spins and the spins in the YIG film.

Damping in Yttrium Iron Garnet Nanoscale Films Capped by Platinum