A soft magnetic wire for sensor applications

Abstract

The main magnetic characteristics regarding the domain structure and magnetization processes (axial, circular and Matteucci and inverse Wiedemann effects) of amorphous wires and glass-coated microwires are analysed. Magnetic bistability, spontaneously observed in samples with large enough ratio magneto-elastic anisotropy with axial easy axis to shape anisotropy, is the main source for a number of sensor applications in pulse generators, position and field sensors, encoded security tags, rotational counters, magnetostrictive delay lines, and so on. The relevant perspectives of the novel giant magneto-impedance effect recently reported and observed in non-magnetostrictive samples are also introduced.