Contributors to Fluxgate Magnetic Noise in Permalloy Foils Including a Potential New Copper Alloy Regime

Fluxgate magnetometers provide sensitive and stable measurements of the static and low frequency vector magnetic field. Fluxgates form a magnetic field measurement by periodically saturating a ferromagnetic core and the intrinsic magnetic noise of this material can determine the noise floor of the instrument. We present the results of an empirical experiment to understand the physical parameters that influence the intrinsic magnetic noise of fluxgate cores. We compare two permalloy alloys – the historical standard 6 % molybdenum alloy and a new 28 % copper alloy. We examine the influence of geometry using the historical standard 1” diameter spiral wound ring-core and a new stacked washer racetrack design. We evaluate the influence of material thickness by comparing 100 µm and 50 µm foils. Finally, we investigate heat treatments in terms of temperature and ramp rate and their role in both grain size and magnetic noise. The results of these experiments suggest that thinner foils, potentially comprising the copper alloy, manufactured into continuous racetrack geometry washers may provide excellent performance in fluxgate sensors.

Application of magnetoelectric sensors in biomedicine

The prospects of applying highly sensitive magnetic field sensors based on the magnetoelectric effect in biomedicine are discussed in this paper. When developing highly sensitive magnetic field sensors, it is necessary to take into account the magnitude of the equivalent magnetic noise, as well as the mass and size dimensions and ease of use of the system that the sensor is included in. One of the most relevant areas discussed in the article is the application of magnetoelectric magnetic field sensors for magnetocardiography, magnetoencephalography, etc. These methods are non-invasive, have high sensitivity and are easy to use. They also have wide opportunities in detecting weak biomagnetic signals when examining the state of the human body and providing the necessary assistance.