The paper proposes a model of an electromagnetic radiation sensor that uses the precession of the magnetization vector in a ferromagnet (ferromagnetic resonance) as a result of absorbing the energy of an incident electromagnetic wave, the generation of a spin current as a result of this precession, the generation of a spin-polarized current as a result of the passage of a spin current in a non-magnetic metal, and a change in the direction of magnetization of a ferromagnetic layer with a low coercive force (free layer) due to the passage of a spin-polarized current. Then the radiation will be detected by its effect on the electrical resistance of the entire structure, which depends on the mutual directions (parallel or antiparallel) of magnetization of the free and fixed (with a large coercive force) ferromagnetic layers (phenomenon of giant magnetic resistance). The dependence of the spin-polarized current in the device on the frequency and amplitude of the incident electromagnetic wave with linear polarization was calculated. A method of calculating the range of amplitude and frequency values of radiation that can be detected by the sensor has been developed. The parameters of this model are the detection time and the number of spin gates in one sensor. Calculations are given for a ferromagnetic layer made of permalloy and for spin valves with four different critical current values that determine the process of remagnetization of the free layer: 20, 50, 100, and 200 microamps.

The properties of the spin-valve structure, based on two ferromagnetic layers divided by a layer of non-magnetic metal, in the geometry of the current perpendicular to the plane are modeled. In addition to well-known classical twochannel conductivity model proposed by Nevill Mott, the developed model takes into account spin scattering on the surface between structures. The developed model uses equivalent electrical circuits to simulate a spin valve with parallel and antiparallel alignment. On the basis of this model, the dependences of the giant magnetic resistance on two geometric parameters of the structure—the ratio between the thickness of the free and the thickness of the fixed layers, and their ratio to the length of spin diffusion—are derived. Based on the developed model, numerical data are obtained for the spin valve, where the ferromagnetic layers are made of cobalt, permalloy, iron, and nickel. The portion of surface scattering in the giant magnetic resistance is also investigated. A general conclusion is made about the slight increase of the giant magnetic resistance due to the influence of surface scattering for structures based on cobalt, permalloy, and iron, but not for nickel. This outlines the scope of applicability of the developed model.