Antiferromagnetic Spintronic Oscillators: Fundamentals and Applications

Antiferromagnetic spintronic oscillators are nanoscale multilayer devices consisting of one or more antiferromagnetic layers and capable of generating an AC output signal due to the current-driven (sub-) terahertz frequency dynamics of magnetic sublattices in an antiferromagnet when the device is biased by an electric DC current. Antiferromagnetic oscillators are now considered as promising robust and compact signal sources for many everyday and high-tech applications, including medical imaging, communications, security, military technologies, materials science, etc., although such devices have not yet been studied experimentally. In this chapter, we formulate the basic principles of antiferromagnetic spintronics with a focus on oscillator problems, discuss the key difference between the novel antiferromagnet-based oscillators and conventional ferromagnet-based oscillators, and also review recent advances, trends, and problems in the physics and applications of antiferromagnetic spintronic oscillators.