Patent ID: 8320080

Claim:
A spin-torque oscillator (STO) comprising: a substrate; and a set of layers on the substrate comprising: a free ferromagnetic layer having a magnetization that oscillates in the presence of an excitation current perpendicularly through the plane of the free layer; a first ferromagnetic reference layer having a fixed magnetization; a nonmagnetic tunnel barrier layer between and in contact with the free layer and the first reference layer; a second ferromagnetic reference layer having a fixed magnetization; a nonmagnetic electrically conductive spacer layer between and in contact with the free layer and the second reference layer; and three electrical terminals for connection of electrical circuitry to the oscillator, wherein a first of said three terminals is electrically coupled to the first reference layer, a second of said three terminals is electrically coupled to the second reference layer, and the third of said three terminals is electrically coupled to one of said conductive spacer layer and said free layer.