Rapid microwave phase detection based on a solid state spiontronic device

Abstract: A technique for rapidly detecting microwave phase has been developed which uses a spintronic device that can directly rectify microwave fields into a dc voltage signal. Use of a voltage-controlled phase shifter enables the development of a spintronic device that can simultaneously 'read' the magnitude and phase of incident continuous-wave (CW) microwaves when combined with a lock-in amplifier. As an example of many possible practical applications of this device, the resonance phase in a complementary electric inductive-capacitive (CELC) resonator has been characterized using a spintronic sensor based on a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). This sensor device is not limited for use only with spintronic devices such as MTJs, but can also be used with semiconductor devices such as microwave detectors, and hence offers a useful alternative to existing microwave imaging and characterization technologies.