Estimation of Rectifying Performance for Terahertz Wave in Newly Designed Fe/ZnO/MgO/Fe Magnetic Tunnel Junction

TL;DR

This study demonstrates the potential of Fe/ZnO/MgO/Fe magnetic tunnel junctions for terahertz wave rectification, achieving significant current responsivity at room temperature, indicating promising applications in terahertz detection.

Contribution

The paper presents the fabrication and theoretical analysis of Fe/ZnO/MgO/Fe MTJs with low resistance-area products, showing their potential for terahertz wave rectification.

Findings

Achieved 0.09 A/W responsivity at 1 THz

MTJs show comparable rectifying performance to semiconductor diodes

Potential for room-temperature terahertz detection

Abstract

We fabricated fully epitaxial Fe/ZnO/MgO/Fe magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) with low junction resistance-area products (several $\Omega$ $\mu$m$^2$) and conducted a theoretical estimation of square-low rectifying performance for a terahertz electromagnetic wave. Effective current responsivity up to 0.09 A/W at 1 THz was obtained under zero-bias voltage condition at room temperature. The result is approximately half the value of the best result obtained for experiments in semiconductor-based diodes, performed under similar conditions. The study strongly suggests that this MTJ system has a great potential for the rectifying element of the terahertz wave.