B8.

Characteristics of TMR Angle Sensors

Hiroshi Yamazaki, Hiraku Hirabayashi, Nobuya Oyama and Masanori Sakai

TDK CORPORATION
543 Otai, Saku-shi, Nagano, 385-8555 Japan

Background
Magnetic rotational angle sensors are widely
used for detecting the angle of a motor, because
of the advantages of non contact operation and no S
influence by oil sludge. As magnetic sensors, Hall
effect sensors and anisotropy magnetoresistive N
(AMR) sensors are commercialized and used in 㱔
various applications. Free
Tunneling magnetoresistive (TMR) angle
Barrier
Pinned
sensors were developed and evaluated. Here is a
report of the TMR angle sensors.

Feature and principle

Fig. 1 TMR sensor operation conceptual
There are many advantages in using TMR for diagram
angle sensors. First, the MR ratio of TMR is very
with the direction of the applied magnetic field.
high. [1], [2], [3], [4], [5] Consequently, the signal output
The change of the angle between the pinned layer
can be greatly higher than other magnetic sensors.
magnetization and the free layer magnetization
Because of the current-perpendicular-to-plane
causes the change of the TMR resistance.
structure (CPP), wide variation of the shape of the
Fig. 2 shows the bridge set-up of the angle
magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) can be adopted
sensor. It consists of two Wheatstone bridges
compared to GMR (giant magnetoresistive) and
where the direction of the pinned layer is mutually
AMR with the current-in-plain structure (CIP). In
orthogonal as shown in the figure. One bridge
addition, it is also one of the favorable features
outputs the COS signal, and the other outputs the
that the frequency response to the magnetic flux
SIN signal. The arrow in the figure indicates the
change is fast, which is demonstrated by being
direction of the magnetization of the pinned layer.
used as hard disk drive (HDD) heads. It is well
For R1 and R2 and also for R3 and R4, the
known that HDD which operates at high data
direction of the pinned layer magnetization is
transfer rates is using TMR technology.
mutually anti-parallel. Vcos is obtained from one
Fig. 1 shows the schematic diagram of the
bridge (COS bridge), Vsin is obtained from the
operation of the TMR angle sensor. TMR has the
other bridge (SIN bridge), and θsens is given by
spin valve (SV) structure consists of the pinned
the arc tangent of the ratio of them as shown in
layer, the barrier layer and the free layer. The
the equations (1)-(3).
magnetization of the free layer rotates to align

S E N S O R + T E S T C o n f e r e n c e s 2 0 1 1  S E N S O R P r o c e e d i n g s 3 6 1
  Vsin  The applied voltage was 5V. The amplitude was
θ sens = arctan  (1)
 Vcos  measured at room temperature, and the angle
error was calculated.
 R3 (θ ) R2 (θ ) 
Vcos = Vcc ×  −  (2)
 R3 (θ ) + R4 (θ ) R1 (θ ) + R2 (θ ) 
Sensor characteristic
 R7 (θ ) R6 (θ ) 
Vsin = Vcc ×  −  (3) Fig. 3 shows an example of the output signal
 R7 (θ ) + R 8 (θ ) R5 (θ ) + R6 (θ )  waveform. At room temperature, the output
Here, Vcc is applied voltage to the bridges. reaches 3000mV.
Ri(θ) (i = 1-4) is the resistance of the COS bridge, Fig. 4 shows an example of the dependence of
and Ri(θ) (i = 5-8) the resistance of the SIN bridge. the difference of the angle error on the rotation
They are also the function of the temperature. direction. The influence of hysteresis is very small,
θsens is the detected angle. and the angle error is about 0.1 degrees.
Next, the dependence of the angle error on the
㪭㪺㪺 magnetic field strength is shown in Fig. 5. The
minimum value of the angle error exists at about
60mT of the magnetic field, and it is smaller than
㪭㫊㫀㫅
0.3 degrees over the range of 10mT-70mT, which
R1 R4 R5 R8
indicates that this sensor will be used in various
㪚㪦㪪 㪪㪠㪥
㪹㫉㫀㪻㪾㪼 㪹㫉㫀㪻㪾㪼
㪉㪇㪇㪇 㪪㪠㪥
R2 R3 R6 R7
㪚㪦㪪
㪈㪌㪇㪇

㪭㪺㫆㫊 㪈㪇㪇㪇

㪌㪇㪇
㪦㫌㫋㫇㫌㫋㩷㪲㫄㪭㪴

㪇
㪞㪥㪛 㪇 㪐㪇 㪈㪏㪇 㪉㪎㪇 㪊㪍㪇
㪄㪌㪇㪇

Fig. 2 Angle sensor bridge structure 㪄㪈㪇㪇㪇

㪄㪈㪌㪇㪇

Composition 㪄㪉㪇㪇㪇
㪘㫅㪾㫃㪼㩷㪲㪻㪼㪾㪴
TMR is formed by the DC magnetron sputtering
method in the order of deposition of the under Fig. 3 Power waveform of TMR sensor
electrode, the pinned layer, the barrier layer, the 㪈
㪚㪮
free layer and the upper electrode. An anti- 㪇㪅㪏 㪚㪚㪮
㪻㫀㪽㪽㪼㫉㫅㪺㪼
㪇㪅㪍
ferromagnetic layer was adopted to pin the
㪇㪅㪋
magnetization direction of the pinned layer.
㪘㫅㪾㫃㪼㩷㪼㫉㫉㫆㫉㩷㪲㪻㪼㪾㪅㪴

㪇㪅㪉
The shape with small shape-anisotropy was 㪇
㪇 㪐㪇 㪈㪏㪇 㪉㪎㪇 㪊㪍㪇
adopted so that the magnetization direction of the 㪄㪇㪅㪉

㪄㪇㪅㪋
free layer can follow a weak magnetic field without
㪄㪇㪅㪍
being hindered. The bridge circuit was formed by 㪄㪇㪅㪏

using normal photolithography. 㪄㪈

㪘㫅㪾㫃㪼㩷㪲㪻㪼㪾㪅㪴

Fig. 4 Difference of angle error by the rotation

direction

S E N S O R + T E S T C o n f e r e n c e s 2 0 1 1 + S E N S O R P r o c e e d i n g s 3 6 2
magnetic field strength conditions. These
㪈㪅㪇
favorable characteristics were achieved by the
㪇㪅㪏
decrease of coercive force and magnetic

㪚㪿㪸㫅㪾㪼㩷㫆㪽㩷㪸㫅㪾㫃㪼㩷㪼㫉㫉㫆㫉㩷㪲㪻㪼㪾㪅㪴
㪇㪅㪍
㪇㪅㪋
anisotropy of the free layer, the optimization of the
㪇㪅㪉
pinned layer and the shape with the small shape- 㪇㪅㪇

anisotropy. 㪄㪇㪅㪉
㪄㪇㪅㪋
Fig. 6 shows the frequency response of the 㪄㪇㪅㪍
angle error of the same chip structure. No change 㪄㪇㪅㪏
㪄㪈㪅㪇
is observed over the range of from 100rpm to 㪇 㪌㪇㪇 㪈㪇㪇㪇 㪈㪌㪇㪇 㪉㪇㪇㪇 㪉㪌㪇㪇 㪊㪇㪇㪇
㫉㫆㫋㪸㫋㫀㫆㫅㩷㫊㫇㪼㪼㪻㩷㪲㫉㫇㫄㪴
3000rpm, which is noteworthy.
Next, the temperature dependence was Fig. 6 Frequency dependence of the angle error
examined over the practical range of from
-40degC to 125degC. We measured the 10
8
temperature dependence of the offset, the angle 6

Offset change [mV]

error and the output as shown in Fig. 7. The 4
2
temperature dependence of the offset is confined 0
-2
within a small range of +/-1mV. The offset ratio
-4
SIN
which is the offset divided by TMR output voltage -6
COS
-8
becomes about 0.033%. If the offset change is
-10
assumed to be +/- 1mV here, the offset ratio of -50 0 50 100 150
Temperature [degC]
GMR and AMR becomes 0.21% and 0.68%,
respectively. Fig. 8 shows the comparison 1.0
0.8
between TMR, GMR and AMR of the angle error 0.6
Angle error change [deg]

variation over the temperature range of from -40 0.4

0.2
degC to 150 degC when the sensor output is 0.0
-0.2
adjusted to the same value.
-0.4
The angle error increases about 0.2 degrees in -0.6
-0.8
high and low temperature. The output tends to
-1.0
-50

50

100

150

decrease along with the temperature rise. The

Temperature [degC]

3500
㪉
㪈㪅㪏 3000
㪈㪅㪍
2500
㪈㪅㪋
Output [mV]
㪸㫅㪾㫃㪼㩷㪼㫉㫉㫆㫉㩷㪲㪻㪼㪾㪴

㪈㪅㪉 2000
㪈
1500
㪇㪅㪏
㪇㪅㪍 1000
SIN
㪇㪅㪋 500 COS
㪇㪅㪉
0
㪇
㪇 㪈㪇 㪉㪇 㪊㪇 㪋㪇 㪌㪇 㪍㪇 㪎㪇 㪏㪇 -50 0 50 100 150
㫄㪸㪾㪅㩷㪽㫀㪼㫃㪻㩷㪲㫄㪫㪴 Temperature [degC]

Fig. 5 Magnetic field strength dependence of the Fig. 7 Temperature dependence of offset, angle
angle error error and output

S E N S O R + T E S T C o n f e r e n c e s 2 0 1 1 + S E N S O R P r o c e e d i n g s 3 6 3
temperature coefficient is about -3.18mV/degC, 㪉㪅㪇㪇

and -0.11%/degC when shown by the percentage 㪈㪅㪏㪇

㪈㪅㪍㪇
of the output at room temperature.
㪈㪅㪋㪇

㪘㫅㪾㫃㪼㩷㪼㫉㫉㫆㫉㩷㪲㪻㪼㪾㪴
㪈㪅㪉㪇

㪈㪅㪇㪇
Barrier reliability
㪇㪅㪏㪇

The lifetime of the TMR barrier layer was 㪇㪅㪍㪇

㪇㪅㪋㪇
estimated by the same method as being used for
㪇㪅㪉㪇
HDD heads. 㪇㪅㪇㪇
㪫㪤㪩 㪞㪤㪩 㪘㪤㪩
Generally, the electrical breakdown of the TMR
barrier layer is mainly caused by pinhole Fig. 8 Comparison of the angle error variations

enlargement where the pinholes in the barrier 25

oxide film gradually enlarge (Soft Breakdown). For 20

( Unit of Td is [hour]. )
15
the HDD heads, the lifetime of the barrier layer is
10
calculated by the IPL(Inverse Power Law) model. Log10 Td 5

Delta MR resistance (dMRR) is the change of the 0

-51.4 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8 3.0

TMR barrier resistance over time, and the
-10
relationship between the time at which dMRR -15
Log10 VTMR
reaches -1% (Td) and the applied voltage (VTMR) is ( Unit of VTMR is [mV]. )

shown in Fig. 9. It is shown that it takes 6×1010 Fig. 9 Barrier life prediction
years for resistance to decrease by 1% under 5V
supply and 150degC conditions. The TMR barrier 1.200

layer shows long lifetime and enough reliability. 1.000

Resistance ratio

0.800

0.600
Environmental robustness
0.400
Finally the environmental aspects are evaluated.
0.200
An electrostatic discharge (ESD) examination was
0.000
conducted for the sensor which includes the 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000
HBM voltage [V]
protective structure inside its element. Fig. 10
shows the test result in human body model (HBM). Fig. 10 ESD testing
No resistance change was observed up to 8kV,
1.0
and it was confirmed the effectiveness of the
0.8
protective structure. 0.6
angle error change [deg]

0.4
The test result of the external magnetic field 0.2
robustness is shown in Fig. 11. The external 0.0
-0.2
magnetic field up to 1000mT was applied to the -0.4
-0.6
sensor, and the characteristics after removal of
-0.8
the magnetic field were measured. No change of -1.0
100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000
Initial

the angle error by the external magnetic field was

Extarnal magnetic field [mT]
observed and the high external magnetic field
robustness was demonstrated. Fig. 11 External magnetic field robustness

S E N S O R + T E S T C o n f e r e n c e s 2 0 1 1 + S E N S O R P r o c e e d i n g s 3 6 4
 [5] T. Kagami, et al., “A Performance Study of
Summary Next Generation’s TMR Heads Beyond 200

We have evaluated the TMR angle sensor. Gb/in2”, IEEE Trans. Magn., 42, 93 (2006).

For the structure that consisted of two

orthogonal Wheatstone bridges, the angle error
was smaller than 0.3 degrees over the magnetic
field range of 10mT-70mT. In addition, the offset
change was within the range of +/-1mV (Vcc=5V)
and the angle error increase was 0.2 degrees at
the maximum over the temperature range of from
-40degC to 125degC.
It was confirmed longer than 100 years of the
life prediction, 8kV or higher ESD (HBM)
insusceptibility and the higher than 1000mT
external magnetic field robustness.

Acknowledgement
We wish to express our gratitude to the
members of the group for their collaboration in
development, device fabrication, evaluation, film
development, device design, process design and
reliability evaluation as this report was being
prepared.

Reference
[1] M. Julliere, “Tunneling between
Ferromagnetic Films”, Phys. Lett. A 54, 225
(1975).
[2] J.S. Moodera, et al., “Large
Magnetoresistance at Room Temperature in
Ferromagnetic Thin Film Tunnel Junctions”, Phys.
Rev. Lett. 74, 3273 (1995).
[3] T. Miyazaki and N. Tezuka, ”Giant Magnetic
Tunneling Effect in Fe/Al2O3/Fe Junction”, J.
Magn. Magn. Mat. 139, L231 (1995).
[4] T. Kuwashima, et al., “Electrical
Performance and Reliability of TuMR Heads for
100Gb/in2 Application”, IEEE Trans. Magn., 40,
176 (2004).

S E N S O R + T E S T C o n f e r e n c e s 2 0 1 1 + S E N S O R P r o c e e d i n g s 3 6 5