A giant magnetoresistive magnetometer

This work describes the design and fabrication of a giant magnetoresistive (GMR) magnetometer for earth field measurements. The magnetometer uses sputtered thin film permanent magnets to provide a bias field. It is shown that a simple model can be used to predict the sensitivity and optimum bias field requirements for the device. The GMR magnetometer is compared to a similar device which utilises the anisotropic magnetoresistance effect and is shown to have a superior signal to noise ratio and dynamic range. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.