Spin wave modulation by topographical perturbation in Y3Fe5O12 thin films

We present a comparison of the spin wave propagation in Au/Y3Fe5O12 and Pt/Y3Fe5O12 bilayers. Microwave technique with a co-planner waveguide arrangement was used to excite and detect the spin wave. We observed a suppression in the propagating spin wave intensity when a metal stripe is placed on the surface of Y3Fe5O12 in the spin wave propagation path due to the spin pumping from Y3Fe5O12 to nonmagnetic metal stripe. However, a significant difference in the suppression property was observed with the Au and Pt electrode layers, which cannot be explained by the enhancement of the damping constant induced by spin pumping alone. The significant suppression of the spin wave propagation in the Au/Y3Fe5O12 bilayer system is attributed to the spin backflow and two magnon scattering.