Magnetoresistive sensor based on the spin valve effect
US5159513A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 8, 1991 |
| Grant date | Oct 27, 1992 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 8, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B2005/3996
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A magnetoresistive (MR) sensor comprising a layered structure formed on a substrate includes a first and a second thin film layer of magnetic material separated by a thin film layer of non-magnetic metallic material such as Cu, Au, or Ag, with at least one of the layers of ferromagnetic material formed of either cobalt or a cobalt alloy. The magnetization direction of the first ferromagnetic layer, at zero applied field, is set substantially perpendicular to the magnetization direction of the second ferromagnetic layer which is fixed in position. A current flow is produced through the sensor, and the variations in voltage across the MR sensor are sensed due to the changes in resistance produced by rotation of the magnetization in the front layer of ferromagnetic material as a function of the magnetic field being sensed.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.