Antiparallel exchange biased multilayers for low magnetic noise magnetic field sensors

High sensitivity magnetoelectric (ME) thin film composite sensors, which enable the detection of picotesla magnetic fields, are improved in terms of magnetic noise performance by the elimination of magnetic domain (MD) activity. Using an antiparallel (AP) exchange biasing scheme, suppression of magnetic noise is obtained. Postsetting of AP biased ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic multilayers is accomplished by magnetic field free annealing with in-situ MD control. Overcoming the shape and demagnetization effects, stable single MD configurations in the magnetic sensing layers of magnetic multilayers are formed. Magnetic noise contributions are undetectable. The achieved single domain field stability opens the path to ultralow noise ME sensor applications. The demonstrated AP biasing scheme is applicable to other magnetic layer-based field sensing devices.