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US 2010/0165518 A1Published application
Enhanced magnetoresistance and localized sensitivity by gating in lorentz magnetoresistors
AssigneeHitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.
InventorsThomas Dudley Boone, JR., Bruce Alvin Gurney, Ernesto E. Marinero
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Abstract
A Lorentz magnetoresistive sensor that employs a gating voltage to control the momentum of charge carriers in a quantum well structure. A gate electrode can be formed at the top of the sensor structure to apply a gate voltage. The application of the gate voltage reduces the momentum of the charge carriers, which makes their movement more easily altered by the presence of a magnetic field, thereby increasing the sensitivity of the sensor.
Claims20
A Lorentz magnetoresistive sensor, comprising:
- a quantum well structure formed between first and second semiconductor layers;
- an insulation layer formed next to a portion of the second semiconductor layer at a side opposite the quantum well structure;
- and
- a gate electrode formed next to the insulation layer such that the insulation layer is sandwiched between the second semiconductor layer and the gate electrode.
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A Lorentz magnetoresistive sensor, comprising:
- a mesa structure including a semiconductor heterostructure that forms a magnetically active quantum well, the mesa structure having and second opposed edges and a surface extending between the first and second edges;
- first and second voltage leads connected with the first edge;
- an electrically conductive shunt structure connected with the second edge;
- an electrically insulating layer formed on the surface of the mesa structure;
- and
- an electrically conductive gate electrode formed on the electrically insulating layer, such that the electrically insulating layer is between the electrically conductive gate electrode and the mesa structure.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.