Spin-torque microwave detectors of positive rectangular pulse signals

Abstract

We analyze the performance of a spin-torque microwave detector (STMD) driven by positive rectangular current pulses $I(t)$ of various amplitudes $I_0$, durations $\tau$, and repetition periods $T$ and reveal two distinct regimes of STMD operation. In the first (linear) regime, the time-averaged voltage across the detector, $U_{\mathrm{dc}}$, changes linearly with the pulse amplitude $I_0$ and depends on the ratio $\tau /T$: $U_{\mathrm{dc}}\sim I_0(\tau /T)$. This regime is observed for a wide range of pulse amplitudes $I_0$ in the case of in-plane (IP) magnetization dynamics and for rather small pulse amplitudes $I_0\le I_{\mathrm{th}}$ in an STMD with out-of-plane (OOP) magnetization dynamics. The other (nonlinear) regime is characterized by voltage jumps and drops and is observed only in a structure with OOP magnetization dynamics for input pulses with short repetition periods and large amplitudes $I_0\ge I_{\mathrm{th}}$. We believe that the linear regime of STMD operation can be used to unambiguously detect input pulse parameters, which could be important for the development and optimization of spintronic devices capable of detecting and processing non-harmonic (e.g., digital) microwave signals.