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Microwave sources

Spin-torque oscillators get in phase

Nature Nanotechnology volume 4, pages 479–480 (2009)Cite this article

The synchronization of four magnetic vortices without the use of a magnetic field has brought nanoscale microwave oscillators one step closer to fruition.

The force that a spin-polarized electrical current exerts on a magnetic medium is called the spin-transfer torque. First predicted by theorists in 1996 (refs 1, 2), the subsequent demonstration that the magnetization direction of the medium could be made to oscillate at microwave frequencies3,4 opened the possibility of a new nanoscale source of microwaves. The spin-torque nano-oscillator (STNO) at the heart of these devices consists of a nanoscale electrical contact attached to a multilayered magnetic structure3,4,5. These STNOs are attractive because they are compatible with existing planar technology, are resistant to radiation damage, and can be tuned by changing either the bias magnetic field or the bias electric current3,4.

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Figure 1: Geometry of a spin-torque oscillator consisting of a 'fixed' magnetic layer, a non-magnetic spacer and a 'free' magnetic layer.

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  1. Andrei Slavin is in the Department of Physics of Oakland University, 2200 South Squirrel Road, Rochester, Michigan 48309, USA. slavin@oakland.edu,

    Andrei Slavin

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  1. Andrei Slavin
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Slavin, A. Spin-torque oscillators get in phase. Nature Nanotech 4, 479–480 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2009.213

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