SBIR Phase I: Nanometer-Scale Magnetic-Tunnel-Junction Sensors

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目旨在证明制造纳米级磁性隧道结(MTJ)传感器的可行性，这种传感器具有高灵敏度、在室温下工作并超过现有磁性传感器的性能。目前市场上还没有的纳米级MTJ传感器迫切需要以纳米级的分辨率来传感弱磁场。一种应用是扫描磁性显微镜，它可以非侵入性地测量半导体芯片的电流分布，直到最小的空间特征。其他应用包括磁成像阵列、生物磁传感器和用于数据存储设备的读/写头。该项目旨在开发一种制造传感器的工艺，使传感器具有前所未有的小型化。可行性研究将解决三个关键问题：1)随着结面积的减少而带来的结电阻的大幅增加将被最小化；2)由小的传感器元件中离散的磁畴-壁运动引起的非线性响应将被克服；以及3)随着传感器的各向异性能量的降低而成为问题的热波动将得到稳定。如果成功，这将提供具有广泛影响半导体、数据存储和生物技术市场的潜在的多功能磁性传感器。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of fabricating nanometer-scale magnetic-tunnel-junction (MTJ) sensors that are highly sensitive, operate at room temperature, and surpass the performance of existing magnetic sensors. Nanoscale MTJ sensors, currently unavailable in the marketplace, are urgently needed for sensing weak magnetic fields with nanometer-scale resolution. One application is a scanning magnetic microscope that can non-invasively measure the electrical current distribution of semiconductor chips down to the smallest spatial feature. Other applications include magnetic imaging arrays, biomagnetic sensors, and read/write heads for data storage devices. The project is to develop a process for fabricating sensors with unprecedented miniaturization. The feasibility study will address three key issues: 1) the large increase in junction resistance that accompanies the reduction of junction area will be minimized; 2) the nonlinear response caused by discrete domain-wall motions in small sensor elements will be overcome; and 3) the thermal fluctuations that become problematic as the anisotropy energy of the sensor is reduced will be stabilized.If successful, this will deliver versatile magnetic sensors with the potential to broadly impact the semiconductor, data storage, and biotechnology markets.