Magnetic Field Enhancement with Soft Magnetic Flux Guides
| Periodical | Materials Science Forum (Volumes 587 - 588) |
|---|---|
| Main Theme | Advanced Materials Forum IV |
| Edited by | António Torres Marques, António Fernando Silva, António Paulo Monteiro Baptista, Carlos Sá, Fernando Jorge Lino Alves, Luís Filipe Malheiros and Manuel Vieira |
| Pages | 313-317 |
| DOI | 10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.587-588.313 |
| Citation | D.C. Leitão et al., 2008, Materials Science Forum, 587-588, 313 |
| Online since | June, 2008 |
| Authors | D.C. Leitão, I.G. Trindade, R. Fermento, João P. Araújo, S. Cardoso, P.P. Freitas, João Bessa Sousa |
| Keywords | Magnetic Flux Guide, Sensor |
| Price | US$ 28,- |
In this work, a study of the sensitivity enhancement of spin valve sensors, when located in close proximity to magnetic flux guides, is presented. The magnetoresistance (MR) of spin-valve sensors, lithographically patterned into stripes with lateral dimensions, (length) l = 500 µm, (width) wsensor = 1, 2, 6 µm and placed near one/two Co93.5Zr2.8Nb3.7 (CZN) magnetic flux guide, is characterized at room temperature. CZN has a high permeability that together with a defined microstructured shape, is able to concentrate the magnetic flux in a small area, leading to an increase in sensor's sensitivity. The magnetic field amplification is estimated by comparison of sensor sensitivity with/without magnetic flux guides, in the linear operation range, and studied as a function of different parameters. Besides an enhancement in sensitivity, sensors also exhibit an important increase in the hard axis coercivity and a shift from MR(H=0) = 0.5, both attributed to the magnetic flux guides. Amplification factors of the order of 20 are observed..
