Spin Transfer Torque Driven Coupled Oscillators for Self-Oscillating Radio- Frequency Mixers

magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) devices are emerging as a possible replacement for complementary metal-oxide semiconductors for radio-frequency (RF) signal generation. Advantages include low power consumption, small device area, and large frequency tunability. This paper shows that single devices cannot achieve the necessary noise performance for RF applications. Various coupling mechanisms are explored to show that, by coupling more than two oscillators, a significant improvement in phase noise is possible. Such coupled STOs can be used as self-oscillating RF mixers. Critical mixer performance parameters, including conversion gain, output power, and linearity, are discussed.