Kim Kyung-Won, Hong Sung-Min, Lee Daesung, Shin Kwang-Ho, Lim Sang Ho
Department of Material Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea.
Smart Sensor Research Center, Korea Electronics Technology Institute, Seongnam 13509, Republic of Korea.
Sensors (Basel). 2025 Aug 13;25(16):5022. doi: 10.3390/s25165022.
We successfully fabricated micro orthogonal fluxgate sensors using amorphous CoZrNb films. The sensor, measuring 1.5 mm × 0.5 mm, consists of three main parts: the conductor for excitation current flow, the magnetic layer sensitive to an external magnetic field, and the detection coil for measuring output voltage dependent on an external magnetic field. The magnetic layer forms a magnetically closed-circuit in the cross-section, which reduces reluctance and power consumption. Key fabrication challenges, such as poor step coverage and delamination, were effectively addressed by adjusting the sputtering angle, rotating the substrate during deposition, incorporating a Ta adhesion layer, and applying O plasma surface treatment. Optimal sensor performance was achieved by vacuum annealing the CoZrNb films at 300 °C under an applied magnetic field of 500 Oe. This process effectively enhanced magnetic softness and induced magnetic anisotropy, resulting in both very low coercivity (0.1 Oe) and a stable amorphous structure. The effects of operation frequency and the conductor width on the output characteristics of the fabricated sensors were quantitatively investigated. The sensor exhibited a maximum sensitivity of 0.98 mV/Oe (=9.8 V/T). Our results demonstrate that miniaturized orthogonal fluxgate sensors suitable for multi-chip packaging can be applied to measure the Earth's magnetic field.
我们使用非晶态CoZrNb薄膜成功制造出了微型正交磁通门传感器。该传感器尺寸为1.5毫米×0.5毫米,由三个主要部分组成:用于激励电流流动的导体、对外部磁场敏感的磁性层以及用于测量取决于外部磁场的输出电压的检测线圈。磁性层在横截面上形成磁路闭合,这降低了磁阻和功耗。通过调整溅射角度、在沉积过程中旋转基板、加入Ta粘附层以及进行O等离子体表面处理,有效地解决了诸如台阶覆盖不良和分层等关键制造难题。通过在500奥斯特的外加磁场下于300℃对CoZrNb薄膜进行真空退火,实现了最佳的传感器性能。这一过程有效地提高了磁软度并诱导了磁各向异性,从而产生了极低的矫顽力(0.1奥斯特)和稳定的非晶结构。定量研究了工作频率和导体宽度对所制造传感器输出特性的影响。该传感器表现出0.98毫伏/奥斯特(=9.8伏/特斯拉)的最大灵敏度。我们的结果表明,适用于多芯片封装的小型化正交磁通门传感器可用于测量地磁场。