Liquid phase epitaxial growth of garnet films

Method for making a magnetic bubble device comprising a layer of a garnet material which is epitaxially deposited on a surface of a supporting substrate, said method comprising

• (1) heating a preferred melt consisting essentially of said garnet material and a flux material at a temperature corresponding to supercooling of said garnet material, said flux material comprising PbO and V.sub.2 O.sub.5, PbO being comprised in said flux material in an amount in the range of 67-99 molecular percent, and V.sub.2 O.sub.5 being comprised in said flux material in an amount of at least 50 molecular percent of the molecular percent complementary to the molecular percent PbO,
• (2) bringing at least said surface of said substrate in contact with said melt, and
• (3) removing said substrate from contact with said melt upon deposition of said layer on said surface,
• whereby said deposition is at a desired rate per degree C. of supercooling, said desired rate being less than or equal to 0.53 times a comparison rate, said comparison rate being the rate per degree C. of supercooling when said garnet material is deposited from a comparison melt, said comparison melt consisting essentially of a PbO-B.sub.2 O.sub.3 flux and garnet constituent oxides, the B.sub.2 O.sub.3 :PbO molecular ratio in said comparison melt being 1:15.6, and the molecular ratio of yttrium oxide or its substituents versus iron oxide or its substituents being such that said garnet material is deposited from said comparison melt.