Chapter 6 - Giant Magnetostrictive Thin Film Technologies

Abstract

Giant magnetostrictive thin films are very promising for microactuator devices as they combine high-energy output, high frequency, remote-control operation, simple actuator layout, and comparably low process temperatures during fabrication. The potential of giant magnetostrictive thin films has resulted in an increasing interest for microsystems applications during the past few years. The thin film deposition techniques of the transducer materials are of special interest as they are capable of a cost-effective mass production compatible to microsystem process technologies, and it avoids packaging and interconnecting technologies. Thin film transducer materials are used to give the appropriate actuation to existing micropatterns that result in deflection or bending of the elements. Giant magnetostrictive thin films are made using several physical vapor deposition techniques, including electron beam evaporation laser ablation and the most commonly used sputtering, especially magnetron sputtering. Its main advantage is that the magnetostrictive thin film solution can possibly be incorporated with a remote-control operation. The main development aim of giant magnetostrictive thin films is to obtain the materials that exhibit low magnetic saturation fields.