Torsional oscillator magnetometer for high magnetic fields

We have designed and constructed a torsional oscillator magnetometer for use in magnetic fields up to 25 T. The anisotropic component of the magnetization is detected by measuring the shift in the resonant frequency of the oscillator, which is fabricated from a single-crystal silicon wafer using micromachining techniques. The frequencies for the oscillators described here are between 100 Hz and 1 kHz and can be measured with a resolution of order 1 part in 10(8) in a 10 s averaging time, allowing for the detection of magnetic moments of 2x10(-11) J/T at 1 T. Our oscillators are optimized for experiments on GaAs-AlGaAs heterostructures, but the method is suitable for any sample with an anisotropic susceptibility. We have applied the technique to two systems, a quasi-one-dimensional spin chain and a two-dimensional electron gas. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.