Scientists from Russia have created a compact spintronic detector capable of registering microwave radiation and determining its polarization. The development can be used in satellite communications, medicine, 5G systems and quantum electronics.
The detector consists of a thin film of lutetium garnet and a layer of platinum. When microwaves hit the garnet, magnetization oscillations occur, which generate a spin current. In platinum, this current is converted into an electrical voltage, the magnitude of which depends on the polarization of the radiation.
The device, just over 100 nanometers thick, operates in a wide frequency range, consumes little energy and is compatible with silicon technologies. According to researchers, the detector can be used as a filter or converter, for example, to convert circular polarization into linear polarization.
The wide frequency range of the detector, its ultra-low power consumption and compatibility with silicon technologies will help to create tiny and lightweight communication modules for space satellites, implantable medical sensors for monitoring biochemical processes from the inside, matrix radars for drones, and, of course, elements for quantum electronics in the future.
Scientists are now studying the behavior of the system with different types of polarization in order to expand its possibilities of use.