Planar Magnetoimpedance Sensor Element with Embedded Amorphous Wire
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional magneto-impedance (MI) sensor elements with amorphous wires face challenges in reducing size and thickness while maintaining output characteristics, and are limited by the need for stress-free wire arrangement and substrate materials, which complicates microfabrication and increases costs due to the use of machinable ceramics.
Innovation Solution
A magneto-impedance sensor element with a substrate of non-magnetic material, featuring a planar pattern of conductive films, an amorphous wire aligned with the pattern, and a three-dimensional pattern formed over an insulator that increases in width towards the planar pattern, allowing for a stress-free wire arrangement and reduced substrate thickness without the need for an extending groove.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If an amorphous wire is shortened and detecting coil is wound only around the wire without outer peripheral winding of substrate, then size reduction is achieved, but stress-free arrangement of amorphous wire on detecting coil pattern becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a conventional three-dimensional winding structure to a planar two-dimensional pattern structure. The detecting coil is formed as a planar pattern on the substrate surface, and the amorphous wire is arranged directly on this planar pattern, eliminating the need for outer peripheral winding of the substrate. This dimensional change enables size reduction while maintaining stress-free wire arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates the extending groove structure from the substrate. By removing this recessed portion, the patent simplifies the overall structure, enables thinner substrates, and eliminates the complexity of burying the amorphous wire in a groove, thereby achieving size reduction without compromising reliability.
2Reliability
If an extending groove is formed in substrate to bury amorphous wire, then stress-free arrangement is achieved, but substrate may be damaged and microfabrication complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the extending groove structure from the substrate design. By eliminating this recessed portion, the invention simplifies the microfabrication process, reduces the risk of substrate damage during groove formation, and decreases overall device complexity while maintaining stress-free wire arrangement through the planar pattern approach.
3Volume of moving object
If substrate thickness is reduced, then size reduction is achieved, but substrate strength decreases and breakage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
By transitioning to a planar pattern structure, the patent eliminates the need for a thick substrate to provide mechanical support for groove formation and wire burial. The simplified structure allows for thinner substrates without compromising overall device strength, as the planar coil pattern and surface-mounted wire arrangement do not require the structural reinforcement that groove-based designs demand.
4Measurement precision
If conventional MI element structure is used, then high sensitivity is achieved, but size reduction is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves size reduction while maintaining sensitivity by transitioning to a planar pattern structure. The detecting coil is formed as a two-dimensional pattern on the substrate surface, allowing for compact integration and reduced overall dimensions. The amorphous wire is arranged directly on the planar pattern, enabling close proximity between the wire and coil turns, which maintains the magnetic coupling necessary for high sensitivity detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs thin-film technology for forming the detecting coil pattern on the substrate surface. This approach allows for compact, planar integration of the coil structure, enabling size reduction while maintaining the electrical and magnetic properties necessary for sensitive detection. The thin-film approach is compatible with standard microfabrication processes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enhances the sensor's sensitivity, reduces size and thickness, and increases the freedom in choosing substrate materials, preventing substrate breakage and improving microfabrication processability, while maintaining or exceeding the output characteristics of conventional MI elements.
Implementation Method 1
an amorphous wire serving as a magnetic core of an MI element is crystallized in solder connection by heating
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4(a)~4(b)
AI summary
A magneto-impedance sensor element is formed in a planar type structure in which an amorphous wire is incorporated in a substrate. The magneto-impedance sensor element includes a nonmagnetic substrate, an amorphous wire arranged in an aligning direction of a planar pattern that forms a detecting coil, a spiral detecting coil formed of a planar pattern and a cubic pattern on an outer periphery of the amorphous wire, a planar insulating portion that insulates the planar pattern from the amorphous wire, a wire fixing portion to fix the amorphous wire on an upper surface of the planar insulating portion, and a cubic insulating portion that insulates the cubic pattern from the amorphous wire.