Magnetoimpedance Effect in the Ribbon-Based Patterned Soft Ferromagnetic Meander-Shaped Elements for Sensor Application

Abstract

Amorphous and nanocrystalline soft magnetic materials have attracted much attention in the area of sensor applications. In this work, the magnetoimpedance (MI) effect of patterned soft ferromagnetic meander-shaped sensor elements has been investigated. They were fabricated starting from the cobalt-based amorphous ribbon using the lithography technique and chemical etching. Three-turn (S1: spacing s = 50 μm, width w = 300 μm, length l = 5 mm; S2: spacing s = 50 μm, width w = 400 μm, length l = 5 mm) and six-turn (S3: s = 40 μm, w = 250 μm, length l = 5 mm; S4: s = 40 μm, w = 250 μm and l = 8 mm) meanders were designed. The ‘n’ shaped meander part was denominated as “one turn”. The S4 meander possesses a maximum MI ratio calculated for the total impedance ΔZ/Z ≈ 250% with a sensitivity of about 36%/Oe (for the frequency of about 45 MHz), and an MI ratio calculated for the real part of the total impedance ΔR/R ≈ 250% with the sensitivity of about 32%/Oe (for the frequency of 50 MHz). Chemical etching and the length of the samples had a strong impact on the surface magnetic properties and the magnetoimpedance. A comparative analysis of the surface magnetic properties obtained by the magneto-optical Kerr technique and MI data shows that the designed ferromagnetic meander-shaped sensor elements can be recommended for high frequency sensor applications focused on the large drop analysis. Here we understand a single large drop as the water-based sample to analyze, placed onto the surface of the MI sensor element either by microsyringe (volue range 0.5–500 μL) or automatic dispenser (volume range 0.1–50 mL).