Magnetic sensor, magnetic sensor apparatus, semiconductor magnetic resistance apparatus, and production method thereof

A semiconductor magnetic resistance apparatus including four device parts comprising semiconductor thin films for generating a magnetic resistance effect, a wiring part, and bonding electrodes on a flat substrate surface, said four device parts being connected in a bridge structure, of said four device parts, two device parts at opposite sides of said bridge structure being disposed so as to be capable of being exposed perpendicularly with magnetic fields of the same strength while the other two device parts of the bridge structure are not so exposed, and said device parts and said bonding electrodes being connected by said wiring part.

A method of producing a magnetic sensor characterized by the acts of:

• forming an InxGa1−xAsySb1−y (0<x≦1, 0≦y≦1) thin film having an electron concentration of 2×1016/cm3 or more on a substrate, forming the thin film into a desired pattern, forming a plurality of thin metal thin films on the thin film, and connecting a plurality of external connection electrodes to an end of the thin film.

A magnetic sensor of another construction characterized by comprising a substrate, an operation layer including an InxGa1−xAsySb1−y (0<x≦1, 0≦y≦1) thin film layer formed on the substrate, a dielectric or high resistance semiconductor intermediate layer formed on the operation layer, and a dielectric inorganic protective layer (that is, a passivation layer), stacked in the above order.

A method of producing a magnetic sensor characterized by comprising the acts of:

• forming an InxGa1−xAsySb1−y (0<x≦1, 0≦y≦1) thin film on a flat surface substrate, a process for forming an intermediate layer of a compound semiconductor of approximate physical properties to the thin film on the thin film, forming the thin film and the intermediate layer into a desired pattern, a process for forming a thin metal film of a desired shape on the formed pattern, forming a dielectric inorganic protective layer on the pattern and the metal thin film, forming a plurality of electrodes for external connection, and connecting the electrodes to an end of the InxGa1−xAsySb1−y (0<x≦1, 0≦y≦1) thin film.

A method of producing a magnetic sensor characterized by comprising the acts of:

• forming an InxGa1−xAsySb1−y (0<x≦1, 0≦y≦1) thin film on a flat surface substrate, a process for forming a barrier layer, forming an intermediate layer of a compound semiconductor of approximate physical properties to the barrier layer on the barrier layer, forming the thin film, the barrier layer and the intermediate layer into a desired pattern, forming a thin metal film of a desired shape on the formed pattern, forming a dielectric inorganic protective layer on the pattern and the metal thin film, forming a plurality of electrodes for external connection, and connecting the electrodes to an end of the InxGa1−xAsySb1−y (0<x≦1, 0≦y≦1) thin film.