Serial MTJ-Based TMR Sensors in Bridge Configuration for Detection of Fractured Steel Bar in Magnetic Flux Leakage Testing
Thanks to high sensitivity, excellent scalability, and low power consumption, magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ)-based tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) sensors have been widely implemented in various industrial fields. In nondestructive magnetic flux leakage testing, the magnetic sensor plays a significan...
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MDPI AG
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Sensors |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/21/2/668 |
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| author | Zhenhu Jin Muhamad Arif Ihsan Mohd Noor Sam Mikihiko Oogane Yasuo Ando |
| author_facet | Zhenhu Jin Muhamad Arif Ihsan Mohd Noor Sam Mikihiko Oogane Yasuo Ando |
| author_sort | Zhenhu Jin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Thanks to high sensitivity, excellent scalability, and low power consumption, magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ)-based tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) sensors have been widely implemented in various industrial fields. In nondestructive magnetic flux leakage testing, the magnetic sensor plays a significant role in the detection results. As highly sensitive sensors, integrated MTJs can suppress frequency-dependent noise and thereby decrease detectivity; therefore, serial MTJ-based sensors allow for the design of high-performance sensors to measure variations in magnetic fields. In the present work, we fabricated serial MTJ-based TMR sensors and connected them to a full Wheatstone bridge circuit. Because noise power can be suppressed by using bridge configuration, the TMR sensor with Wheatstone bridge configuration showed low noise spectral density (0.19 μV/Hz<sup>0.5</sup>) and excellent detectivity (5.29 × 10<sup>−8</sup> Oe/Hz<sup>0.5</sup>) at a frequency of 1 Hz. Furthermore, in magnetic flux leakage testing, compared with one TMR sensor, the Wheatstone bridge TMR sensors provided a higher signal-to-noise ratio for inspection of a steel bar. The one TMR sensor system could provide a high defect signal due to its high sensitivity at low lift-off (4 cm). However, as a result of its excellent detectivity, the full Wheatstone bridge-based TMR sensor detected the defect even at high lift-off (20 cm). This suggests that the developed TMR sensor provides excellent detectivity, detecting weak field changes in magnetic flux leakage testing. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:20:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-55ca90da30ad40329c89abd64eb52c7b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:20:00Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj.art-55ca90da30ad40329c89abd64eb52c7b2023-12-03T13:48:25ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202021-01-0121266810.3390/s21020668Serial MTJ-Based TMR Sensors in Bridge Configuration for Detection of Fractured Steel Bar in Magnetic Flux Leakage TestingZhenhu Jin0Muhamad Arif Ihsan Mohd Noor Sam1Mikihiko Oogane2Yasuo Ando3Department of Applied Physics, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, JapanDepartment of Applied Physics, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, JapanDepartment of Applied Physics, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, JapanDepartment of Applied Physics, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, JapanThanks to high sensitivity, excellent scalability, and low power consumption, magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ)-based tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) sensors have been widely implemented in various industrial fields. In nondestructive magnetic flux leakage testing, the magnetic sensor plays a significant role in the detection results. As highly sensitive sensors, integrated MTJs can suppress frequency-dependent noise and thereby decrease detectivity; therefore, serial MTJ-based sensors allow for the design of high-performance sensors to measure variations in magnetic fields. In the present work, we fabricated serial MTJ-based TMR sensors and connected them to a full Wheatstone bridge circuit. Because noise power can be suppressed by using bridge configuration, the TMR sensor with Wheatstone bridge configuration showed low noise spectral density (0.19 μV/Hz<sup>0.5</sup>) and excellent detectivity (5.29 × 10<sup>−8</sup> Oe/Hz<sup>0.5</sup>) at a frequency of 1 Hz. Furthermore, in magnetic flux leakage testing, compared with one TMR sensor, the Wheatstone bridge TMR sensors provided a higher signal-to-noise ratio for inspection of a steel bar. The one TMR sensor system could provide a high defect signal due to its high sensitivity at low lift-off (4 cm). However, as a result of its excellent detectivity, the full Wheatstone bridge-based TMR sensor detected the defect even at high lift-off (20 cm). This suggests that the developed TMR sensor provides excellent detectivity, detecting weak field changes in magnetic flux leakage testing.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/21/2/668nondestructive testingmagnetic flux leakage testingmagnetoresistive sensortunnel magnetoresistance sensormagnetic tunnel junctions |
| spellingShingle | Zhenhu Jin Muhamad Arif Ihsan Mohd Noor Sam Mikihiko Oogane Yasuo Ando Serial MTJ-Based TMR Sensors in Bridge Configuration for Detection of Fractured Steel Bar in Magnetic Flux Leakage Testing Sensors nondestructive testing magnetic flux leakage testing magnetoresistive sensor tunnel magnetoresistance sensor magnetic tunnel junctions |
| title | Serial MTJ-Based TMR Sensors in Bridge Configuration for Detection of Fractured Steel Bar in Magnetic Flux Leakage Testing |
| title_full | Serial MTJ-Based TMR Sensors in Bridge Configuration for Detection of Fractured Steel Bar in Magnetic Flux Leakage Testing |
| title_fullStr | Serial MTJ-Based TMR Sensors in Bridge Configuration for Detection of Fractured Steel Bar in Magnetic Flux Leakage Testing |
| title_full_unstemmed | Serial MTJ-Based TMR Sensors in Bridge Configuration for Detection of Fractured Steel Bar in Magnetic Flux Leakage Testing |
| title_short | Serial MTJ-Based TMR Sensors in Bridge Configuration for Detection of Fractured Steel Bar in Magnetic Flux Leakage Testing |
| title_sort | serial mtj based tmr sensors in bridge configuration for detection of fractured steel bar in magnetic flux leakage testing |
| topic | nondestructive testing magnetic flux leakage testing magnetoresistive sensor tunnel magnetoresistance sensor magnetic tunnel junctions |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/21/2/668 |
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