Highly sensitive nanoscale spin-torque diode

Highly sensitive microwave devices that are operational at room temperature are important for high-speed multiplex telecommunications. Quantum devices such as superconducting bolometers possess high performance but work only at low temperature. On the other hand, semiconductor devices, although enabling high-speed operation at room temperature, have poor signal-to-noise ratios. In this regard, the demonstration of a diode based on spin-torque-induced ferromagnetic resonance between nanomagnets represented a promising development, even though the rectification output was too small for applications (1.4 mV mW-1). Here we show that by applying d.c. bias currents to nanomagnets while precisely controlling their magnetization-potential profiles, a much greater radiofrequency detection sensitivity of 12,000 mV mW-1 is achievable at room temperature, exceeding that of semiconductor diode detectors (3,800 mV mW-1). Theoretical analysis reveals essential roles for nonlinear ferromagnetic resonance, which enhances the signal-to-noise ratio even at room temperature as the size of the magnets decreases. © 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited.