Magnetic Sensors

A magnetic sensor is a device that detects the magnetic field at the sensor location. There is a very wide range of magnetic sensors that differ in their sensitivity, principle of operation, mode of operation, volume, cost, etc. Among these sensors, sensors that are based on magnetoresistive (MR) effects of magnetic thin films, offer an attractive combination of high sensitivity, low cost, room temperature operation, and small volume. The most common commercial MR sensor is a sensor based on an effect known as anisotropic magneto resistance (AMR) whose best field resolution is ~ 200 pT/√Hz at 1 Hz.

In our group we have developed a MR sensor based on an effect known as planar Hall effect (PHE). Our PHE sensor is more sensitive than the best available commercial AMR sensor and in addition it has other important advantages. Our current record is ~ 5 pT/√Hz  (~ 35 pT/√Hz) at 10 Hz with (without) flux concentrators, and  further improvements are expected.

This research is conducted in collaboration with a group in electrical engineering at Ben-Gurion University.

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