This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II research project will develop a compact, easy-to-use two-axis magnetic sensing module with picotesla sensitivity, based on the use of Magnesium Oxide (MgO)-based Magnetic Tunnel Junction (MTJ) sensor devices and associated electronics. The sensor module will have superior field sensitivity with excellent linearity and orthogonality, thanks to a specialized control circuitry which allows the sensors to operate under optimal magnetic conditions. The sensor module will operate under ambient conditions, with no extra infrastructure required, and will therefore be easily integrated into a number of emerging applications. The field sensitivity of the sensor module will be more than a factor of ten larger than any commercially-available thin film sensor, giving it a dominant technical edge for high -performance applications. This sensor module will be realized through the synergy of three key innovations: enhanced device performance derived from magnesium oxide tunnel barrier technology, active sensor compensation via on-board current-carrying striplines, and anisotropy engineering using specialized annealing processes.
This research will create a new product family with greatly enhanced capabilities for use in many critical segments of the world sensor market, including remote sensing applications in the defense and homeland security segments, as a key component of non-destructive evaluation systems, and in emerging medical applications. It will expand the utility and availability of a number of powerful new medical technologies. This research will improve the understanding of the emerging spintronic technology of magnetic tunnel junctions, a class of devices which forms the central component of several important commercial products in the high-tech semiconductor and data storage industries.
Under the support of this SBIR project, we developed a compact, easy-to-use magnetic sensor based on the use of MgO-based magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) technology. The sensor has superior field sensitivity and high stability. The sensor can operate under ambient conditions, with no extra infrastructure required. Therefore, it can be easily integrated into a number of emerging applications. Our sensor is realized through the synergy of three key innovations: enhanced device performance derived from magnesium oxide (MgO) tunnel barrier technology, active sensor compensation via vertical integration of various layered components, and anisotropy engineering using specialized annealing processes. The realization of a scalable process for creating MgO-based MTJ sensors with superior sensitivity has numerous benefits for various commercial, military, and medical applications. Most importantly, this process created a new product family with greatly enhanced capabilities for use in many critical segments of the world sensor market, including remote sensing applications in the defense and homeland security segments, as a key component of non-destructive evaluation systems, and in emerging medical applications. The ability to supplant the bulky and costly SQUID and fluxgate devices in some applications resulted in a drastic reduction in the cost and complexity of the associated techniques. This process expanded the utility and availability of a number of powerful new medical technologies. Our new toolset provided researchers and engineers in medicine and nanotechnology with a powerful new tool. This SBIR project effort improved our understanding of the emerging spintronic technology of magnetic tunnel junctions, a class of devices which forms the central component of several important commercial products in the high-tech semiconductor and data storage industries. Finally, the collaboration between physicists, electrical engineers, materials scientists and students has resulted in a broader multidisciplinary training and education for all participants involved.
