Effects of Magnetostatic Interactions in FeNi-Based Multilayered Magnetoimpedance Elements

Multilayered [Cu(3 nm)/FeNi(100 nm)]₅/Cu(150 nm)/FeNi(10 nm)/Cu(150 nm)/FeNi(10 nm)/Cu(150 nm)/[Cu(3 nm)/FeNi(100 nm)]₅ structures were obtained by using the magnetron sputtering technique in the external in-plane magnetic field. From these, multilayer magnetoimpedance elements were fabricated in the shape of elongated stripes using the lift-off lithographic process. In order to obtain maximum magnetoimpedance (MI) sensitivity with respect to the external magnetic field, the short side of the rectangular element was oriented along the direction of the technological magnetic field applied during the multilayered structure deposition. MI sensitivity was defined as the change of the total impedance or its real part per unit of the magnetic field. The design of the elements (multilayered structure, shape of the element, etc.) contributed to the dynamic and static magnetic properties. The magnetostatic properties of the MI elements, including analysis of the magnetic domain structure, indicated the crucial importance of magnetostatic interactions between FeNi magnetic layers in the analyzed [Cu(3 nm)/FeNi(100 nm)]₅ multilayers. In addition, the uniformity of the magnetic parameters was defined by the advanced technique of the local measurements of the ferromagnetic resonance field. Dynamic methods allowed investigation of the elements at different thicknesses by varying the frequency of the electromagnetic excitation. The maximum sensitivity of 40%/Oe with respect to the applied field in the range of the fields of 3 Oe to 5 Oe is promising for different applications.