Garnet films of Bi1Dy2Fe5O12 were prepared by a set-gel process, the so cal
led modified Pechini process, in which ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (E
DTA) rather than citric acid (CA) acted as a chelating agent. The results o
f analysis on crystallization characteristics for sol-gel derived films sho
wed that efficient removal of organic compounds and carbon residuals before
the firing process was vital to forming a single phase garnet within the f
ilms. (C) 1998 Kluwer Academic Publishers.