Low temperature spark plasma sintering of YIG powders

4 páginas, 4 figuras, 2 tablas.A transition from a low to a high spin state in the magnetization saturation between 1000 and 1100 °C calcination temperature is observed in YIGpowders prepared by oxides mixture. Sparkplasmasintering of these powders between 900 and 950 °C leads to dense samples with minimal formation of YFeO3, opening the way to co-sintering of YIG with metals or metallic alloys. The optical properties depend on the sintering stage: low (high) density samples show poor (bulk) optical absorption.The authors want to acknowledge the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science and UE for funding through project MAT2009-14534-C03-03. One of us, L. Fernandez-Garcia, wants to acknowledge JAE program for PhD grant.Peer reviewe