On-chip magnetometer for characterization of superparamagnetic nanoparticles

An on-chip magnetometer was fabricated by integrating a planar Hall magnetoresistive (PHR) sensor with microfluidic channels. The measured in-plane field sensitivities of an integrated PHR sensor with NiFe/Cu/IrMn trilayer structure were extremely high at 8.5 mu V Oe(-1). The PHR signals were monitored during the oscillation of 35 pL droplets of magnetic nanoparticles, and reversed profiles for the positive and negative z-fields were measured, where magnitudes increased with the applied z-field strength. The measured PHR signals for 35 pL droplets of magnetic nanoparticles versus applied z-fields showed excellent agreement with magnetization curves measured by a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) of 3 mu L volume, where a PHR voltage of 1 mu V change is equivalent to 0.309 emu cc(-1) of the volume magnetization with a magnetic moment resolution of similar to 10(-10) emu.