We review the use of hybrid thin films composed of superconductors and ferromagnets for creating non-reciprocal electronic components and self-biased detectors of electromag- netic radiation. We begin by introducing the theory behind these effects, as well as discussing various potential materials that can be used in the fabrication of these components. We then proceed with a detailed discussion on the fabrication and characteriza- tion of Al/EuS/Cu and EuS/Al/Co-based detectors, along with their noise analysis. Additionally, we suggest some approaches for multiplexing such self-biased detectors.