Material- and fabrication-governed performance of a tunnelling magnetometer

• Miniaturization of sensitive magnetic sensors for nano- and picosatellites has come to the point where the traditional sensors with magnetic coils soon can be replaced. Thin film technology offers the possibility of making extremely small magnetic field sensors that employ the effect of anisotropic, giant and tunneling magnetoresistance (AMR, GMR and TMR). In this paper, the development status of sensors based on microelectromechanical systems technology (MEMS), starting from a TMR layer structure is presented. The sensors have been successfully fabricated and integrated onto an electronic circuit designed for space application. The system as a whole, and the sensors in particular, have not only been characterized with respect to sensitivity, resolution, and noise level, but also to launch vibration and space radiation. The sensor performance and limitations are strongly dependent on the deposited materials, sensor design, and fabrication process. Since the sensor elements are small and sensitive (with lateral dimensions of some tens of micrometres, and resolution of 100 pT at frequencies of MHz), they are also promising for other MEMS applications.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Materialteknik -- Annan materialteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Materials Engineering -- Other Materials Engineering (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

MTJ

rapid prototyping

magnetic sensor

magnetometer

micro

MEMS

Other materials science

Övrig teknisk materialvetenskap

Teknisk fysik med inriktning mot mikrosystemteknik

Engineering Science with specialization in Microsystems Technology

Engineering Science with specialization in Materials Science

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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