Mutual synchronization of spin-torque oscillators consisting of perpendicularly magnetized free layers and in-plane magnetized pinned layers

Abstract

A mutual synchronization of spin-torque oscillators coupled through current injection is studied theoretically. Models of electrical coupling in parallel and series circuits are proposed. Solving the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation, excitation of in-phase or antiphase synchronization, depending on the ways the oscillators are connected, is found. It is also found from both analytical and numerical calculations that the current-frequency relations for both parallel and series circuits are the same as that for a single spin-torque oscillator.Spin-torque oscillators have been a fascinating research target in the field of spintronics from the viewpoints of both nonlinear science and practical applications such as microwave generator and communication devices [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Above all, the exciting topic in this research field is the synchronization of spin-torque oscillators by the magnetic [7][8][9][10] and/or electrical [11][12][13][14][15] couplings. The synchronization of spin-torque oscillators results in an enhancement of the emission power and an increase of the quality factor of the practical devices. In addition, new applications such as brain-inspired computing based on the synchronized spin-torque oscillators are proposed very recently [16][17][18][19].An attractive structure of spin-torque oscillator for practical applications is that consisting of a perpendicularly magnetized free layer and an in-plane magnetized pinned layer [20][21][22] because this type of spin-torque oscillator results in high emission power, narrow linewidth, and wide frequency tunability simultaneously. The oscillation properties of this type of spin-torque oscillator, such as the relation between the injected current and the oscillation frequency, as a single oscillator have been investigated both experimentally [22] and theoretically [23]. A possibility to excite a mutual synchronization in this type of spin-torque oscillators, however, has not been investigated yet.In this letter, a theoretical study on the mutual synchronization of spin-torque oscillators consisting of perpendicularly magnetized free layers and in-plane magnetized pinned layers is presented. We focus on the coupling of spin-torque oscillators through the current injection, and develop models of the coupling in the parallel and series circuits. Solving the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation numerically, we show that two spin-torque oscillators indicate in-phase or antiphase synchronization depending on the way the oscillators are connected. An analytical theory clarifying the relation between the current, oscillation frequency, and phase difference is also developed. Both the numerical and analytical calculations indicate that the dependence of oscillation frequency on the current for both the parallel and series circuits are identical to that of a single spin-torque oscillator.The system under consideration is schematically shown in Fig. 1. There are two spin-torque oscillators, and each oscillator consists of a free layer F k (k = 1, 2) and a pinned ...

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