Linear field amplification for magnetoresistive sensors

Abstract

In this article, we describe the fabrication and characterization of a spin valve (SV) magnetoresistive (MR) sensor, located in the gap of two magnetically soft flux guides (FGs) that enhance the sensor magnetic field sensitivity, while keeping in the sensor a quasilinear Barkhausen-noise-free response. Top pinned SV sensors were fabricated into stripes, having lengths of 100μm and widths of 2 and 3μm, by optical lithography and ion-milling etching. The FGs consisted of poles and yokes of an amorphous alloy of Co88.4Zr3.3Nb8.3, prepared by physical vapor deposition and were lithographically defined by a lift-off process. The SV sensor MR responses to applied uniform magnetic fields Ha, when either isolated or located in the gap of two types of FGs, were characterized in terms of the saturation field, coercive force, and sensitivity. The impact of the FG geometry in the magnetic field amplification and sensor response characteristics were studied. Magnetic force microscopy analysis was performed to identify the presence of multidomain states in the FGs and of a remanent field in their gap. SV sensors in the gap of FGs using long poles and having a sensing area of 1000μm2 exhibit a linear sensitivity of 50mV∕Oe in the field range of a couple of oersteds. The SV sensor in the gap of magnetically soft FGs exhibits enhanced hysteresis, characterized by a coercive force of approximately 1Oe. Two schemes are proposed to reduce the hysteresis in the sensor response.