Spin-orbit torque nano-oscillators, based on ferromagnetic/nonmagnetic metal bilayers, are compact microwave sources. However, their low output power, due to the small anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) of the ferromagnetic layer, limits their applications. This paper demonstrates a significant power enhancement by adding a ferromagnetic reference layer, enabling the use of current-in-plane giant magnetoresistance (CIP-GMR). The larger magnitude of GMR and its differing angular dependence compared to AMR result in a substantial power increase, exceeding 1 nW, promising advancements in practical applications.

Jen-Ru Chen, Andrew Smith, Eric A. Montoya, Jia G. Lu, Ilya N. Krivorotov