Search

We present a comprehensive review of the most recent advances in nanocontact spin torque oscillators (NC-STOs). NC-STOs are highly tunable, with both applied magnetic field and dc, broadband microwave signal generators. As opposed to the nanopillar geometry, where the lateral cross section of the entire device has been confined to a typically ${ diameter, in NC-STOs, it is only the current injection site that has been laterally confined on top of an extended magnetic film stack. Three distinct material combinations will be discussed: 1) a Co/Cu/NiFe pseudospin valve (PSV) where both the Co and NiFe have a dominant in-plane anisotropy; 2) a Co/Cu/ $[{\rm Co}/{\rm Ni}]_{4}$ orthogonal PSV where the Co/Ni multilayer has a strong perpendicular anisotropy; and 3) a single NiFe layer with asymmetric non-magnetic Cu leads. We explore the rich and diverse magnetodynamic modes that can be generated in these three distinct sample geometries.

Spin torque oscillators (STOs) often exhibit multiple modes, leading to complex behavior. One example is mode hopping between different eigenmodes of a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) STO. This mode hopping is a strong function of current and angle between the magnetization in the free and fixed layers, and away from anti-parallel configuration, mode hopping can be the dominant decoherence process. Another example is the linewidth of a nanocontact STO that can be a complex non-monotonic function of temperature in regions where two or more modes are excited by the oscillators. These phenomena require a generalization of the single-mode nonlinear STO theory to include mode coupling. We derive equations describing the slow time evolution of the coupled system and show they describe a dynamically driven system, similar to other systems that exhibit mode hopping in the presence of thermal fluctuations. In our description, mode coupling also leads to additional coupling between power and phase fluctuations, which can in certain limited cases lead to longer relaxation times for power fluctuations, and consequently to larger linewidths through the nonlinear frequency shift.