Magnetomechanical accelerometer based on magnetic tunnel junctions

Abstract

Accelerometers have widespread applications and are an essential component in many areas, such as automotive, consumer electronics, and industrial applications. Most commercial accelerometers are based on a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) that is limited in downscaling and power consumption. Spintronics-based accelerometers are proposed as alternatives; however, current proposals suffer from design limitations that result in reliability issues and high cost. Here, we propose spintronic accelerometers with magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) as building blocks, which map accelerations into a measurable voltage across the MTJ terminals. The device exploits elastic and dipolar coupling as a sensing mechanism and the spintronic diode effect for the direct readout of acceleration. The proposed technology represents a potentially competitive and scalable solution to current capacitive MEMS-based approaches that could lead to a step forward in many of the commercial applications.