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DC magnetic field sensing based on the nonlinear magnetoelectric effect in magnetic heterostructures

  • Recently, highly sensitive magnetic field sensors using the magnetoelectric effect in composite ferromagnetic-piezoelectric layered structures have been demonstrated. However, most of the proposed concepts are not useful for measuring dc magnetic fields, because the conductivity of piezoelectric layers results in a strong decline of the sensor's sensitivity at low frequencies. In this paper, a novel functional principle of magnetoelectric sensors for dc magnetic field measurements is described. The sensor employs the nonlinear effect of voltage harmonic generation in a composite magnetoelectric structure under the simultaneous influence of a strong imposed ac magnetic field and a weak dc magnetic field to be measured. This physical effect arises due to the nonlinear dependence of the magnetostriction in the ferromagnetic layer on the magnetic field. A sensor prototype comprising of a piezoelectric fibre transducer sandwiched between two layers of the amorphous ferromagnetic Metglas (R) alloy was fabricated. The specifications regarding the magnetic field range, frequency characteristics, and noise level were studied experimentally. The prototype showed the responsivity of 2.5 V mT(-1) and permitted the measurement of dc magnetic fields in the range of similar to 10 nT to about 0.4 mT. Although sensor operation is based on the nonlinear effect, the sensor response can be made linear with respect to the measured magnetic field in a broad dynamic range extending over 5 orders of magnitude. The underlying physics is explained through a simplified theory for the proposed sensor. The functionality, differences and advantages of the magnetoelectric sensor compare well with fluxgate magnetometers. The ways to enhance the sensor performance are considered.

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Metadaten
Author:Dmitrii A. Burdin, Dmitri V. ChashinORCiD, Nikolai A. Ekonomov, Leonid Y. FetisovORCiD, Yuri K. FetisovORCiD, Mikhail Shamonin (Chamonine)ORCiDGND
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0022-3727/49/37/375002
Parent Title (English):Journal of physics D: Applied physics
Publisher:IOP Publishing
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Year of first Publication:2016
Release Date:2022/05/04
Tag:Sensors; composite; magnetic field sensors; magnetic heterostructures; magnetoelectric effect; nonlinear magnetostriction; voltage harmonic generation
Volume:49
Issue:37
Article Number:375002
Institutes:Fakultät Elektro- und Informationstechnik
Fakultät Elektro- und Informationstechnik / Labor Intelligente Materialien und Strukturen
Begutachtungsstatus:begutachtet
research focus:Sensorik
Licence (German):Keine Lizenz - Es gilt das deutsche Urheberrecht: § 53 UrhG