Tunable asymmetric magnetoimpedance effect in ferromagnetic NiFe/Cu/Co films

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that the magnetoimpedance effect in NiFe/Cu/Co ferromagnetic films can be tuned by adjusting the Cu spacer thickness, enabling potential use in linear magnetic field sensors.

Contribution

It presents the first experimental analysis of tunable asymmetric magnetoimpedance in ferromagnetic films with biphase magnetic behavior, considering frequency and spacer thickness effects.

Findings

Magnetoimpedance response depends on Cu spacer thickness.

Asymmetric magnetoimpedance can be tuned around zero magnetic field.

Potential application in auto-biased linear magnetic sensors.

Abstract

We investigate the magnetization dynamics through the magnetoimpedance effect in ferromagnetic NiFe/Cu/Co films. We observe that the magnetoimpedance response is dependent on the thickness of the non-magnetic Cu spacer material, a fact associated to the kind of the magnetic interaction between the ferromagnetic layers. Thus, we present an experimental study on asymmetric magnetoimpedance in ferromagnetic films with biphase magnetic behavior and explore the possibility of tuning the linear region of the magnetoimpedance curves around zero magnetic field by varying the thickness of the non-magnetic spacer material, and probe current frequency. We discuss the experimental magnetoimpedance results in terms of the different mechanisms governing the magnetization dynamics at distinct frequency ranges, quasi-static magnetic properties, thickness of the non-magnetic spacer material, and the kind of the magnetic interaction between the ferromagnetic layers. The results place ferromagnetic films with biphase magnetic behavior exhibiting asymmetric magnetoimpedance effect as a very attractive candidate for application as probe element in the development of auto-biased linear magnetic field sensors.