Review on spin-wave RF applications

TL;DR

This review discusses the development and potential of spin-wave technology in RF communication, emphasizing its suitability for 5G and 6G networks due to scalability, energy efficiency, and recent advances in materials and device design.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of magnonics fundamentals, recent research milestones, RF applications over 50 years, and discusses challenges and strategies for practical spin-wave RF devices.

Findings

Spin-wave devices are promising for scalable, low-power RF applications.

Recent advances have improved materials and device designs for spin-wave technology.

Open challenges include losses, linearity, and power handling, with strategies proposed to address them.

Abstract

This review explores the development of spin-wave technology, highlighting magnonics as a promising route for radio frequency (RF) communication systems. The rollout of 5G and the upcoming 6G networks intensifies the demand for devices that can operate at higher frequencies while remaining scalable, compact, and energy-efficient - requirements that spin waves are well suited to meet. The first two sections revisit the fundamentals of magnonics, trace major milestones in spin-wave research, and summarize recent advances in materials and device design. The third section reviews RF applications studied over the past 50 years, with emphasis on key passive components, such as filters, limiters, delay lines, phase shifters, and directional couplers. The final section discusses both the advantages and the open challenges of spin-wave devices, including insertion losses, linearity, and power handling, together with the strategies to address them. By linking fundamental insights with technological needs, this review outlines a path toward practical RF platforms. Spin-wave-based devices, with their scalability, versatility, and potential for low-power operation, hold strong promise for future wireless communication, particularly in the 5G and 6G era.