Modeling the Frequency Dependence of Packaged Linear Magnetoresisitive Sensors Based on MTJ

Abstract

The magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) effect has been widely applied in information technology and has brought about many revolutionary products in the past decade. In the meantime, many research studies on linear magnetoresistive sensors based on MTJ have been published to improve their performance metrics, such as linear field range, sensitivity, hysteresis, and noise. Though the frequency response of high-speed magnetic reading has been researched, the performance and application of linear magnetoresistive sensors with bridge configuration for high-frequency sensing remain underexplored. In this paper, we proposed an equivalent impedance network model of packaged linear magnetoresistive sensors based on MTJ with Wheatstone bridge configuration, and derived the corresponding frequency-dependent performance model, considering the influences of the parasitic capacitances and the amplitude of the applied magnetic field. Our work shows that the frequency characteristics of linear magnetoresistive sensors are closely associated with their RC time constants, which depends on their resistances and parasitic capacitances. The useful bandwidth of an MTJ linear sensor is also related to the amplitude of the applied magnetic field. The bandwidth changes negligibly with the varying magnetic field in the range of less than 30% of the saturation field, but increases rapidly when it exceeds 30% of the saturation field.