Structure to achieve thermally stable high sensitivity and linear range in bridge GMR sensor using SAF magnetic alignments
US6771472B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 6, 2002 |
| Grant date | Aug 3, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 26, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01R33/093
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The invention provides a magnetic sensor having a first opposing pair and a second opposing pair of resistive elements configured in a Wheatstone bridge, wherein the resistive elements are a synthetic antiferromagnetic giant magnetoresistive sensor having a reference layer and a pinned layer of different thicknesses, wherein the first opposing pair has a net magnetic moment that is opposite to that of the second opposing pair, and wherein the first opposing pair has a thicker reference layer than pinned layer, and the second opposing pair has a thicker pinned layer than reference layer. Other embodiments of the invention have resistive elements that are opposingly bilayer and trilayer synthetic antiferromagnetic giant magnetoresistive sensors, or opposingly synthetic and standard antiferromagnetic giant magnetoresistive sensors.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.