Patent · US Expired

Device for detecting a magnetic field

US6075361A · kind A · utility

8Cited by
0References
6Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 25, 1997
Grant dateJun 13, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 25, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C11/1675
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The device comprises a Wheatstone bridge with at least four magnetoresistive elements (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d) on a substrate (15), each magnetoresistive element comprising at least one sensitive portion (13) comprising successively a first ferromagnetic layer (19) having a magnetic easy axis (27) extending in a first direction, a non-magnetic layer (21) and a second ferromagnetic layer (23) having a magnetic easy axis (29) extending in a second direction that is different from the first direction. The sensitive portions (13) have mutually parallel sensitive directions that are parallel to a third direction (X). Each magnetoresistive element (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d) is associated with a current conductor (35a, 35b, 35c, 35d) provided in the immediate vicinity of that magnetoresistive element. The first direction (27) is canted through an acute angle with respect to the third direction (X), and the second direction (29) is canted in the opposite sense through an acute angle with respect to the third direction. Each one of the current conductors (35a, 35b, 35c, 35d) extends over at least a portion of its length in a fourth direction (Y) perpendicular to the third direction (X).

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.