Integrated magnetic field sensor based on magnetoresistive spin valve structures

A new integrated magnetic sensor, which is based on a micro-patterned spin valve bridge design, is described in this paper. The main advantage of the design is that an adjacent soft magnetic layer guides the magnetic flux, al lowing a balanced bridge sensor to be sensitive to the direction of the ext ernal magnetic field. This new design avoids some of the additional circuit ry and processing steps required in previous spin valve-based field sensors . We report a significant increase in the device sensitivity (similar to 15 mV/(VxOe)), even in non-optimised prototype devices compared to other comm ercially available lake NVE (15 mV/(V(.)Oe)). (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V . All rights reserved.