17,807 research outputs found
Non-white frequency noise in spin torque oscillators and its effect on spectral linewidth
We measure the power spectral density of frequency fluctuations in
nanocontact spin torque oscillators over time scales up to 50 ms. We use a
mixer to convert oscillator signals ranging from 10 GHz to 40 GHz into a band
near 70 MHz before digitizing the time domain waveform. We analyze the waveform
using both zero crossing time stamps and a sliding Fourier transform, discuss
the different limitations and advantages of these two methods, and combine them
to obtain a frequency noise spectrum spanning more than five decades of Fourier
frequency . For devices having a free layer consisting of either a single
NiFe layer or a Co/Ni multilayer we find a
frequency noise spectrum that is white at large and varies as \emph{}
at small . The crossover frequency ranges from \approx\unit[10^{4}]{Hz} to
\approx\unit[10^{6}]{Hz} and the component is stronger in the
multilayer devices. Through actual and simulated spectrum analyzer
measurements, we show that frequency noise causes both broadening and a
change in shape of the oscillator's spectral line as measurement time
increases. Our results indicate that the long term stability of spin torque
oscillators cannot be accurately predicted from models based on thermal (white)
noise sources
Method and apparatus for frequency spectrum analysis
A method for frequency spectrum analysis of an unknown signal in real-time is discussed. The method is based upon integration of 1-bit samples of signal voltage amplitude corresponding to sine or cosine phases of a controlled center frequency clock which is changed after each integration interval to sweep the frequency range of interest in steps. Integration of samples during each interval is carried out over a number of cycles of the center frequency clock spanning a number of cycles of an input signal to be analyzed. The invention may be used to detect the frequency of at least two signals simultaneously. By using a reference signal of known frequency and voltage amplitude (added to the two signals for parallel processing in the same way, but in a different channel with a sampling at the known frequency and phases of the reference signal), the absolute voltage amplitude of the other two signals may be determined by squaring the sine and cosine integrals of each channel and summing the squares to obtain relative power measurements in all three channels and, from the known voltage amplitude of the reference signal, obtaining an absolute voltage measurement for the other two signals by multiplying the known voltage of the reference signal with the ratio of the relative power of each of the other two signals to the relative power of the reference signal
Low Power Microwave Signal Detection With a Spin-Torque Nano-Oscillator in the Active Self-Oscillating Regime
A spin-torque nano-oscillator (STNO) driven by a ramped bias current can
perform spectrum analysis quickly over a wide frequency bandwidth. The STNO
spectrum analyzer operates by injection locking to external microwave signals
and produces an output DC voltage that temporally encodes the
input spectrum. We found, via numerical analysis with a macrospin
approximation, that an STNO is able to scan a bandwidth in less
than (scanning rate exceeds ). In contrast to
conventional quadratic microwave detectors, the output voltage of the STNO
analyzer is proportional to the amplitude of the input microwave signal with sensitivity . The
minimum detectable signal of the analyzer depends on the scanning rate and,
at low , is about .Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Low noise buffer amplifiers and buffered phase comparators for precise time and frequency measurement and distribution
Extremely low noise, high performance, wideband buffer amplifiers and buffered phase comparators were developed. These buffer amplifiers are designed to distribute reference frequencies from 30 KHz to 45 MHz from a hydrogen maser without degrading the hydrogen maser's performance. The buffered phase comparators are designed to intercompare the phase of state of the art hydrogen masers without adding any significant measurement system noise. These devices have a 27 femtosecond phase stability floor and are stable to better than one picosecond for long periods of time. Their temperature coefficient is less than one picosecond per degree C, and they have shown virtually no voltage coefficients
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