Uncooled sub-GHz spin bolometer driven by auto-oscillation

Bolometers are rectification devices that convert electromagnetic waves into direct current voltage through a temperature change. A superconducting bolometer has a responsivity of approximately 106–107 V/W under cryogenic temperatures at infrared wavelengths; however, no devices have realized such a high responsivity in the sub-GHz frequency region. We describe a spin bolometer with a responsivity of (4.40 ± 0.04) × 106 V/W in the sub-GHz region at room temperature using heat generated in magnetic tunnel junctions through auto-oscillation. We attribute the unexpectedly high responsivity to a heat-induced spin-torque. This spin-torque modulates and synchronizes the magnetization precession due to the spin-torque auto-oscillation and produces a large voltage output. In our device, heat-induced spin-torque was obtained because of a large heat-controlled magnetic anisotropy change: −2.7 µJ/Wm, which is significant for enhancing dynamic range and responsivity. This study can potentially lead to the development of highly sensitive microwave detectors in the sub-GHz region.