SBIR Phase II: Picotesla Magnetic Sensor Using MgO-Based Magnetic Tunnel Junction Technology

这项小型企业创新研究二期研究项目将基于氧化镁（MgO）磁隧道结（MTJ）传感器设备和相关电子设备，开发一种紧凑、易于使用、具有皮特斯拉灵敏度的双轴磁传感模块。传感器模块将具有卓越的场灵敏度，具有良好的线性和正交性，这要归功于专门的控制电路，使传感器能够在最佳磁条件下工作。传感器模块将在环境条件下工作，不需要额外的基础设施，因此可以很容易地集成到许多新兴应用中。传感器模块的场灵敏度将比任何商用薄膜传感器大十倍以上，使其在高性能应用中具有主导技术优势。该传感器模块将通过三个关键创新的协同作用来实现：来自氧化镁隧道阻挡技术的增强器件性能，通过板载电流带状线的主动传感器补偿，以及使用专门退火工艺的各向异性工程。这项研究将创造一个新的产品系列，其功能大大增强，可用于世界传感器市场的许多关键领域，包括国防和国土安全领域的遥感应用，作为无损评估系统的关键组成部分，以及新兴的医疗应用。它将扩大一些强大的新医疗技术的实用性和可用性。这项研究将提高人们对新兴的自旋电子磁隧道结技术的理解，磁隧道结是高科技半导体和数据存储行业中几种重要商业产品的核心部件。

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.