An ultrasensitive spintronic strain sensor

We propose a spintronic strain sensor capable of sensing strain with a sensitivity of 1E-13/sqrt{Hz} at room temperature with an active sensing area of 1 cmE2 and power dissipation of 1 watt. This device measures strain by monitoring the change in the spin-polarized current in a parallel array of free standing nanowire spin valves when the array is subjected to compressive or tensile stress along the wires' length. The change in the current is linearly proportional to the strain, which makes the sensor relatively distortion-free. Such a sensor can be fabricated using a variety of techniques involving nanolithography, self assembly and epitaxial growth.