A sub-micrometric spintronic-based accelerometer

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 micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) that have limited scalability and power efficiency. Here we propose a novel spintronic-based accelerometer employing magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) as spintronic-diodes to develop compact and high-sensitivity accelerometers where the output voltage measured across the MTJs terminals is mapped directly into the external acceleration. The device exploits both mechanical and magnetic couplings and leverages the spin-diode effect for higher sensitivity at low-power input. The proposed technology represents a potentially competitive solution to current MEMS-based approaches.