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Pushing the detection limit of thin film magnetoelectric heterostructures

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Abstract

Composite magnetoelectrics implemented as thin film heterostructures are discussed in view of their applicability as highly sensitive magnetic field sensors. Here, either PZT or AlN served as piezoelectric component. The magnetostrictive phase consisted of layer systems based on FeCo or (Fe90Co10)78Si12B10. All functional layers were deposited with thicknesses of a few micrometers on Si cantilever structures with typical lateral dimensions of 25 mm by 2.2 mm. Magnetoelectric coefficients as large as 6900 V/cm Oe and a limit of detection as low as 1 pT/(Hz)1/2 were measured. Currently, the best result demonstrates a detection limit of 500 fT/(Hz)1/2 at 958 Hz frequency using a set of two sensors for external noise suppression. A frequency conversion technique is proposed to broaden the applicability of resonant magnetoelectric sensors to a wider frequency range. Finally, the achieved sensor performance is evaluated with regard to typical magnetic field amplitudes in medical applications.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank the German Research Foundation DFG for financial support through the Collaborative Research Center SFB 855 ‘Magnetoelectric composites—future biomagnetic interfaces’ and the Grant PAK 902. The authors acknowledge the permission to reproduce article extracts provided by Nature Publishing Group, Elsevier, AIP Publishing LLC and IEEE.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Materials Science, Kiel University, Kiel, 24143, Germany

    Volker Röbisch, Necdet O. Urs, Erdem Yarar, André Piorra, Christine Kirchhof, Enno Lage, Jeffrey McCord, Eckhard Quandt & Dirk Meyners

  2. Institute of Electrical and Information Engineering, Kiel University, Kiel, 24143, Germany

    Sebastian Salzer, Jens Reermann, Michael Höft, Gerhard U. Schmidt & Reinhard Knöchel

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  1. Volker Röbisch
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  2. Sebastian Salzer
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  3. Necdet O. Urs
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Correspondence to Dirk Meyners.

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Röbisch, V., Salzer, S., Urs, N.O. et al. Pushing the detection limit of thin film magnetoelectric heterostructures. Journal of Materials Research 32, 1009–1019 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2017.58

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