US 12,228,620 B2
Magnetic sensor element and device having improved accuracy under high magnetic fields
Andrey Timopheev, Vif (FR); Jeffrey Childress, San Jose, CA (US); and Nikita Strelkov, Meylan (FR)
Assigned to Allegro MicroSystems, LLC, Manchester, NH (US)
Appl. No. 17/998,984
Filed by Allegro MicroSystems, LLC, Manchester, NH (US)
PCT Filed May 10, 2021, PCT No. PCT/IB2021/053951
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 16, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/234504, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 25, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 20315252 (EP), filed on May 20, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0213597 A1, Jul. 6, 2023
Int. Cl. G01R 33/00 (2006.01); G01R 33/09 (2006.01); G01R 33/12 (2006.01)
CPC G01R 33/0017 (2013.01) [G01R 33/098 (2013.01); G01R 33/1215 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A magnetic angular sensor element destined to sense an external magnetic field, comprising:
a magnetic tunnel junction containing a ferromagnetic pinned layer having a pinned magnetization;
a ferromagnetic sensing layer; and
a tunnel magnetoresistance barrier layer, between the ferromagnetic pinned layer and the ferromagnetic sensing layer,
wherein the ferromagnetic sensing layer comprises a first sensing layer being in direct contact with the barrier layer and having a first sensing magnetization, a second sensing layer having a second sense magnetization, and a metallic spacer between the first sensing layer and the second sensing layer,
wherein the metallic spacer is configured to provide an antiferromagnetic coupling between the first sensing magnetization and the second sensing magnetization such that the first sensing magnetization is oriented substantially antiparallel to the second sensing magnetization,
wherein the second sensing magnetization being larger than the first sensing magnetization, such that the second sensing magnetization is oriented in accordance with the direction of the external magnetic field,
wherein the second sensing layer comprises a plurality of second sensing sublayers, each second sensing sublayer having a second sensing sub-magnetization amounting to said second sensing magnetization, and
wherein two adjacent second sensing sublayers are separated from by a non-magnetic layer being configured to provide a magnetic coupling between the two adjacent second sensing sublayers.