Magnetic current sensor comprising a magnetoresistive differential full bridge

Magnetic current sensor, comprising:

• a sensor bridge circuit comprising:
• a first half-bridge comprising two series-connected and diagonally opposed tunnel magnetoresistive (TMR) sensor elements;
• and
• a second half-bridge comprising two series-connected and diagonally opposed TMR sensor elements,
• each TMR sensor element comprising a tunnel barrier layer, a reference layer having a pinned reference magnetization and a sense layer having a sense magnetization that can be freely oriented, the TMR sensor elements having their reference magnetization oriented substantially in the same direction;
• and
• a field line configured to pass a field current generating a magnetic field such that the sense magnetization of the diagonally opposed TMR sensor elements of the first half-bridge is oriented along the direction of the magnetic field and in a direction opposite to the diagonally opposed TMR sensor elements of the second half-bridge,
• wherein a non-null differential voltage output between the TMR sensor elements of the first half-bridge the TMR sensor elements of the second half-bridge is measurable when the field current is passed in the field line,
• wherein the differential voltage output is insensitive to the presence of an external uniform magnetic field, and
• wherein the pinning direction in each of the TMR sensor elements is oriented at about 45° relative to a tangent line of the field line.