Magnetic tunnel junction based microwave detector

Abstract

We investigated the tunneling magnetoresistance change in magnetic tunnel junctions in the presence of external microwaves. The changing relative angle between the free layer and the pinned layer results in a rectification of the average resistance change. Due to its miniature size and its sensitivity to the microwave magnetic field, the magnetic tunnel junction could be utilized as a microwave power sensor with the ability to detect microwave frequencies. Studying microwave power and bias current dependencies reveals desired sensor features with linear responses and enhanced signal levels.