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Solid-State Magnetic Sensors for Bioapplications

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Abstract

During the last decade, intensive research efforts have been expended to develop solid-state magnetic sensors for applications such as biomolecular sensing and single molecule detection. This chapter reviews sensors proposed thus far, including (a) GMR and spin valve sensors based on the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect; (b) magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) sensors based on tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR); (c) anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) ring sensors and planar Hall effect sensors based on the AMR effect; (d) Hall sensors based on the classical Hall effect; and (e) giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) sensors based on the frequency-dependent variation of the skin depth in magnetic wires with field. Two different types of sensors are highlighted: the ones with large sensing areas (hundreds of μm2) intended to provide statistical counting of a large number of magnetic micro- or nanoparticles and the others with micro- or submicrometer-sized sensing areas that focus on single particle detection.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Micrometer-sized ring sensors for bioapplications have been also reported more recently by the group from University of Cambridge [31]. Although these devices are geometrically similar, they are fabricated from a sandwich structure containing hard ferromagnet/normal metal/soft ferromagnet (Co/Cu/Py, for example) so that their operation is based on the GMR effect rather than AMR.

  2. 2.

    Similar sensors were also examined by the group from NRL [27].

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 60439, Argonne, IL, USA

    Goran Mihajlović

  2. MARTECH and Department of Physics, Florida State University, 32306, Tallahassee, FL, USA

    Stephan von Molnár

Authors
  1. Goran Mihajlović
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  2. Stephan von Molnár
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Goran Mihajlović .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Physics, University of Texas, Arlington, Yates Street 502, Arlington, 76019, USA

    J. Ping Liu

  2. Center for Magnetic Recording Research, University of California, San Diego, Gilman Drive 9500, La Jolla, 92093-0401, USA

    Eric Fullerton

  3. Werkstoffforschung (IFW Dresden), Leibniz Institut für Festkörper- und, Helmholtzstr. 20, Dresden, 01069, Germany

    Oliver Gutfleisch

  4. Center for Materials Research &, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Brace Laboratory 112, Lincoln, 68588-0113, USA

    D.J. Sellmyer

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Mihajlović, G., von Molnár, S. (2009). Solid-State Magnetic Sensors for Bioapplications. In: Liu, J., Fullerton, E., Gutfleisch, O., Sellmyer, D. (eds) Nanoscale Magnetic Materials and Applications. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-85600-1_23

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-85600-1_23

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