Effect of Meander Structure on Magnetoimpedance Characteristics in FeNi/Cu/FeNi Films

The 3-D physical models for FeNi/Cu/FeNi films with two different types of structures that are linear and meander are developed. The relationship between the impedance of the films and the applied magnetic field or excitation frequency is obtained, and the influence of geometric parameters and structures of the films on the giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) effect is analyzed. The result shows that the GMI effect in the film with a horizontal meander structure appears to be much stronger compared with that in a linear structure. The negative mutual inductance of the meander FeNi/Cu/FeNi films reduces the total inductance and decreases the frequency response. Meanwhile, the GMI effect and the negative mutual inductance are enhanced by increasing the number of turns or decreasing the space width between each segment. Based on these effects, the FeNi/Cu/FeNi film with a vertical meander structure is proposed and simulated, which reflects the design of the meander structure in the thickness direction. The distance between each segment is reduced to 500 nm. The GMI effect and the negative mutual inductance are greatly enhanced (the maximum value of the GMI ratio increases from 207% to 1247% when the excitation frequency changes from 50 to 300 MHz). Furthermore, the spatial resolution of the film is further improved. The results obtained could be useful both for a better understanding of the GMI effect of the FeNi/Cu/FeNi film with a meander structure and for providing a choice for the device preparation of highly sensitive magnetic sensors.