SEMINAR REPORT ON

NOVEL MAGNETIC READOUT FOR HYBRID

SPINTRONIC MEMS DEVICES
in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of B.Tech
Degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering

Submitted by,
VISHNU ANIL
(TKM16EC118)

Under the Guidance of

Prof. JYOTHIS R

NOVEMBER 2019
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS AND
COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING
T K M COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
 KOLLAM 691005

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION

T K M COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
KOLLAM 691005

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the seminar report entitled “ NOVEL MAGNETIC

READOUT FOR HYBRID SPINTRONIC MEMS DEVICES” is a bonafide account of
the report of the seminar presented by VISHNU ANIL (TKM16EC118) in partial
fulfilment of the requirement for the award of Bachelor of Technology in Electronics and
Communication Engineering of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University during the
academic year 2019-2020.

Prof.JYOTHIS R Prof. SHABEER S Dr. SHEEBA O

Seminar Guide Coordinator H.O.D

ii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It is with great pleasure and pride that I present this report before you. At this moment of
triumph, it would be unfair to neglect all those who helped me in the successful completion
of this report.

I extend my sincere gratitude to Dr.Sheeba O, Head of the Department, Prof.Jyothis R, my

seminar guide, Prof. Shabeer S, seminar coordinator, for their valuable guidance and
suggestions.

I am thankful to one and all faculty members of the Department of Electronics and
Communication Engineering and my friends for their guidance and whole hearted support.

VISHNU ANIL

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 ABSTRACT

This digest reports for the first time on the concept, fabrication and characterization of a
spintronics magnetic readout for hybrid MEMS. The method uses magnetic sensors (spin
valves) and permanent magnets (on both the movable and the fixed parts of the MEMS
structure) to detect displacement. The use of such transduction method has several potential
advantages: it allows a small form factor, straightforward readout electronics, xyz
integrability, and does not require high aspect ratio silicon gaps, allowing the replacement of
conventional capacitive transductors by a mechanism that occupies much less chip area. The
proof-of-concept is presented for an in-plane movable structure. Both the full-gap linear
displacement and the electrostatic pull-in behaviour are monitored and displayed.

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 LIST OF ABBREVATIONS

MEMS Microelectromechanical systems

PM Permanent magnets

SV Spin valve

AFM Atomic force microscope

MR Magnetoresistance

SEM Scanning electron microscope

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 CONTENTS
Certificate ii
Acknowledgement iii
Abstract iv
List of abbreviations v
Contents vi
List of figures vii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 3

CHAPTER 3: SPINTRONIC SENSORS 5

3.1 MATERIAL AND SENSOR DESIGN 5

CHAPTER 4: PROPOSED MODEL 8

4.1 NEW MAGNETIC READOUT 8

CHAPTER 5:FABRICATION PROCESS AND DESIGN 10

5.1 FABRICATION 10

5.2 SEM OF FABRICATED STRUCTURE 11

CHAPTER 6:EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS 13

6.1 SV TRANSFER CURVES 13

CONCLUSION 16

REFERENCE 17

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 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure No: Figures Page No:

3.1 spin valve sensor transfer curve and geometry 6

4.1 Device and working principle schematic 9

5.1 Fabrication process diagram 10

5.2 SEM of fabricated structure 11

6.1 SV transfer curves 13

6.2 SV voltage output actuated by linear comb drive 15

6.3 SV voltage output actuated with parallel plate 15

Micro-actuators

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 NOVEL MAGNETIC READOUT FOR HYBRID SPINTRONIC MEMES DEVICES

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

Several MEMS applications rely on displacement measurement, such as accelerometers,

gyroscopes, Lorentz force based magnetometers, as well as the resonant sensors used in a very
diverse range of areas (ex.: gas sensing and RF applications). MEMS devices have been
proposed with a variety of readout approaches. The measurement of the displacement of
movable parts is often achieved using capacitive, piezoelectric, piezoresistive, magnetic or
optical methods, among others. However, capacitive and piezoresistive transduction/sensing
methods are well studied and widely adopted.

Capacitive transduction generally requires large areas and small gaps, together with complex
electronics, in order to achieve convenient measurement thresholds and high resolution [1].
This translates to large form factors and increased damping (higher thermal-mechanical noise
and lower quality factor).Piezoresistive readouts provide design and fabrication simplicity and
require simple readout circuitry (such as resistive bridge to generate low output-impedance
voltage)[1]. The main disadvantages are larger temperature sensitivity and smaller overall
sensitivity as compared to capacitive devices.

Up to now, the magnetic approaches for displacement sensing on MEMS have been based on
induced voltage on pick-up coils by magnetized or current-conducting vibrating structures [2],
[3] or variation of mutual inductance between coils [4]. In [2], passive resonators totally
fabricated from CoNi (100% CoNi proof-mass) were mechanically excited with external
magnetic fields and the readout was performed using the voltage induced in differential pick-up
coils. In [3], a current-carrying MEMS cantilever is excited by Lorentz force by applying
external magnetic field. This approach has the advantage of requiring no patterning of magnetic
materials during micro fabrication. Both approaches require however strong external fields
applied by the means of inductance coils. Several macroscale solutions based on magnetic
principles also exist and are well established commercially, generally based on the Hall effect
but also on Eddy currents [5], [6].The main obstacle to the miniaturization of these methods is
the need for relatively strong and bulky permanent magnets, since the MEMS compatible

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 NOVEL MAGNETIC READOUT FOR HYBRID SPINTRONIC MEMES DEVICES

have limitations regarding the achievable magnetic field [7] and the small magnitude of the
generated currents. Hence, there is room for improvement on what concerns small form factor
and easy readout methods without sensitivity loss. The continuous quest for device
miniaturization and simple front-end electronics requires the development of new sensing
concepts. In this work, we present the concept of a novel spintronics readout approach based
on fixed magnetic sensors and permanent magnets on the movable structure. This
displacement sensing method does not require parallel-plates or comb fingers, hence allowing
to save space. The fabrication process and the preliminary characterization results are also
reported.

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 NOVEL MAGNETIC READOUT FOR HYBRID SPINTRONIC MEMES DEVICES

CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW

In reference 1 Magnetoresistive sensors using spin valves and magnetic tunnel junctions are
reviewed, considering applications as readers in hard disk drives, as well as applications where
the ultimate field detection limits are required (from nT down to pT). The sensor noise level in
quasi-DC or high-frequency applications is described, leading to sensor design considerations
concerning biomedical and read head applications. Magnetic tunnel junction based sensors
using MgO barriers appear as the best candidates for ultra-low field (pT) detection, either in the
high-frequency regime, or for quasi-DC applications. Magnetoresistive (MR) sensors are linear
magnetic field transducers based either on the intrinsic magnetoresistance of the ferromagnetic
material (sensors based on the spontaneous resistance anisotropy in 3d ferromagnetic alloys,
also called anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) sensors), or on ferromagnetic/non-magnetic
heterostructures (giant magnetoresistance multilayers, spin valve and tunnelling
magnetoresistance (TMR) devices). This chapter covers spin valve (SV) and magnetic tunnel
junction (MTJ) magnetoresistive sensors. The major present application of MR sensors is for
the data storage market, as read heads in hard disk drives.

In reference 2 the paper reviews the state of the art for the microfabrication of
permanent magnets applicable to microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Permanent
magnets are a key building block for the realization of magnetically based MEMS sensors,
actuators, and energy converters. In this paper, the basic theories and operational concepts for
permanent magnets are first described. Then, different classes of permanent-magnet materials
and associated performance tradeoffs are introduced. Challenges relating to the integration of
permanent magnets into MEMS applications are then discussed. Last, a summary and review of
previously reported fabrication strategies and material properties is provided. In particular,
there has been a significant interest to integrate soft-and hard-magnetic materials in bonded
magnets; however, the state of the art in AM and injection moulding can offer only large-scale
magnets [18], [19]. Small scale magnets have been developed for microelectromechanical
systems (MEMS) using bonded magnetic powders in photoresist and polymers.

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 NOVEL MAGNETIC READOUT FOR HYBRID SPINTRONIC MEMES DEVICES

In reference 3 An electromagnetic contactless excitation principle is

presented to induce mechanical vibrations on miniaturized electrically conductive resonant
structures to be used as passive sensors. An external coil arrangement generates a time-varying
magnetic field which induces eddy currents on the structure sur-face. The interaction between
the eddy currents and the magnetic field causes forces which can set the structure into vibration.

In reference 4 Spin valves (SVs) with synthetic-antiferromagnet (SAF) pinned

layers and synthetic-ferrimagnet (SF) free-layers deposited by ion beam deposition are
optimized for incorporation in nanometric sensors is reviewed. The results on combined
SAF-SF structures indicate a reduced saturation and offset fields when compared with the
simple top-pinned or SAF structure. Therefore, SAF-SF SV display sensitivities
of ∼0.025∼0.025 %/Oe (200 nm sensor), ∼0.1∼0.1 %/Oe (500 nm sensor),
and ∼0.2∼0.2 %/Oe (1 μmμm sensor), which correspond to an improvement
of 2×2× , 4.5×4.5× , and 7×7×,respectively, when compared with all other SV stacks tested.

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 NOVEL MAGNETIC READOUT FOR HYBRID SPINTRONIC MEMES DEVICES

CHAPTER 3
SPINTRONIC SENSORS

3.1 MATERIALS AND SENSOR DESIGN

Spintronic sensors based on the magneto resistive (MR) effect have been widely
explored over the past years for many applications, strongly inspired by the success of
the magnetic recording technology. These devices directly convert the magnetic field
into a voltage or resistance with a dc bias current supply. A MR sensor is based on
magneto resistive thin film materials deposited wafers or flat substrates and then
patterned into the required shape and size, using top-down lithography techniques.
There are some materials(e.g., Co, NiFe, CoFe, and their alloys) exhibiting a magneto
resistive effect at room temperature When defined into a controlled shape and accessed
with two electrical contacts, their resistance is a function of the magnetic orientation
with respect to the current direction, so a magnetoresistive ratio MR ¼ ðRhigh_
Rlow=Rlow (i.e., giving a percentage change ofthe resistance), can be determined. Since
the experimental verification of this effect in 1986 [9], engineered multilayer stacks with
controlled thickness (typically 1 nm thick films, with accuracy better than 0.1 nm), have
been explored for tailored properties of the devices. The control of film thickness,
composition ,interfaces, crystalline structure, homogeneity and reproducibility for large
scale production are possible only through the technological advances in thin film
deposition and lithography methods. As a result, several generations of MR sensors have
been developed and successfully validated in commercial products. Although having
different physical principles of operation, MR sensors are historically classified
according to the MR ratio as briefly summarized in Table 1. Anisotropic MR (AMR), giant
MR (GMR), and tunnel MR (TMR) sensors are presently very mature technologies,
optimized from simple thin film materials (AMR) toward high-performance devices
(TMR). Figures of merit (some of them listed in Table 1) are the MR ratio, thermal
stability, and the ability to obtain a linear resistance versus field characteristic, with
controlled linear range. The latter is described in next section
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 NOVEL MAGNETIC READOUT FOR HYBRID SPINTRONIC MEMES DEVICES

Improved stability against external magnetic field thermal effects are desired
specifications for a field sensor and have been independently, resulting in engineered
multilayer stacks called spin-valve (SV) [10]. Here, the thin film structure comprises: 1)
a reference layer (pinned through exchange biasing with an adjacent antiferromagnetic
film, AF, such as MnIr or MnPt [11]) which is stable under the influence of very large
external magnetic fields(_40 mT) and temperature (over 250 -C), 2) a magnetic free
layer that aligns to the magnetic field to be measured, and 3) a spacer that decouples
the free and reference magnetic layers.

Figure 3.1 spinvalve sensor transfer curve and geometry

The basic layer structure of such a system and an example of a sensor patterned into a
sensing element,having a linear transfer curve (R vs. H), are shown in Fig. 1. Increasing
demands from the industry motivated the use of additional layers for enhanced
magnetic rigidity of the reference layer. These strategies are well described in [12]. In
TMR sensors, the magnetic film structure is similar to the one optimized for the SV
sensor, varying mainly in the spacer between the free and reference layers: here, the
metallic spacer is replaced by a thin insulating spacer layer (e.g., Al2O3 or MgO, 1 nm
thick) that forms a tunnel barrier [13]. In this case, the devices are also called magnetic
tunnel junctions (MTJ). For the current to pass across the barrier, these devices need to
be patterned into current-perpendicular-to-plane (CPP) devices, when compared with
the other MR sensors, which are generally current in plane (CIP) (see Table 1). Although
being a continuous insulator, when a bias voltage is applied across the barrier, a finite
current flows through the junction because of quantum-mechanical tunneling [14]. TMR
ratio values up to 70% [15] and 600% [16] have been reported, respectively, for Al2O3
and MgO barriers that are combined with ferromagnetic electrodes based on CoF

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 NOVEL MAGNETIC READOUT FOR HYBRID SPINTRONIC MEMES DEVICES

Proper linearization usually requires a compromise between maximum signal and linear
response characteristics; therefore, sensors have usually lower MR ratios (see Table 1) than
those reported for test devices [17]. One example of a linearized sensor curve measured for
Al2O3-based TMR device is presented in Fig. 2. The quality of the barrier growth conditions
and the interface roughness have a strong impact on the MR sensor properties. It is remarkable
that Al2O3 layers as thin as 0.6 nm can indeed be integrated into functional devices and
perform as a tunnel barriers. Fig. 3 presents an example [18] where the impact of the barrier
thickness on the MR levels and resistance-area product was investigated. Degradation of the
MR signals observed for the thinner barriers is associated with the onset for the discontinuity of
the Al film itself, with the consequences of promoting a competition between tunneling and
resistive transport across the barrier. This phenomena was studied by several authors not only
for Al2O3 amorphous barriers (prepared by oxidation of ultrathin Al films) but also for MgO
ultrathin crystalline films.

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 NOVEL MAGNETIC READOUT FOR HYBRID SPINTRONIC MEMES DEVICES

CHAPTER 4
PROPOSED MODEL

4.1 NEW MAGNETIC READOUT

In the proposed approach, permanent magnets (PM) are defined on the edge of the movable
structure and magnetic sensors are fabricated on the other side of the displacement gap, i.e., on
the edge of the fixed frame and as close as possible, leaving the movable PM and the sensor
separated by the displacement gap only. In this case we use spintronics sensors – spin valves
(SV), which are characterized by a change in electrical resistance when an external magnetic
field is applied, simplifying the instrumentation needed. In this configuration (Fig. 1), the
displacement observed on the movable structure and consequently the PM on top of it, changes
the magnetic sensed by the SV due to the variation of the distance between the two. An identical
PM, fixed on the other side of the SV is included, to provide a magnetic field offset.

As observed from the plots in Fig. 1 (bottom), the magnetic field sensed by the SV increases
non-linearly with the PM approximation. Linearization can be achieved by performing
differential measurement, i.e. taking advantage of different sets of SV-PMs in gap-increasing
and gap-decreasing regions of the structure. Given the limited magnetic field created by the
magnet, this approach is only possible due to the high sensitivity and small form factor of the
spintronics sensors and the close integration

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 NOVEL MAGNETIC READOUT FOR HYBRID SPINTRONIC MEMES DEVICES

Figure 4.1: Device and working principle schematic: (top) one permanent magnet on an SOI
in-plane moving structure and the fixed magnetic sensor and permanent magnet on the frame;
(bottom) magnetic field increase at the (2μm-wide) SV location due to PM approximation.

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 NOVEL MAGNETIC READOUT FOR HYBRID SPINTRONIC MEMES DEVICES

CHAPTER 5

FABRICATION PROCESS AND DESIGN

5.1 FABRICATION

The in-house fabrication process (Fig. 2) performed on 25μm-SOI wafer, consists basically of
SV stack definition and metal patterning; followed by PMs patterning and device definition by
DRIE; and finally the release by HF vapor. The SV stack is deposited and patterned between
two alumina (Al2O3) passivation layers (see Fig. 2a). The SV stack is composed of 7
metal/alloy layers totalizing 29.8 nm: 2nm Ta, 2.8nm Ni80Fe20 alloy, 2.3nm Co80Fe20 allow,
2.4nm Cu, 3.3nm Co80Fe20,7nm Mn78Ir24 and finally 10nm Ta [8]. After the top passivation
patterning, metal contacts are defined (lift-off), followed by another passivation (Fig. 2b). The
PMs (100 nm CoCrPt) are then sputtered and patterned by ion milling and another passivation
layer is sputtered and patterned (Fig. 2c). The device is then defined on the SOI by DRIE using
a soft mask and released by HF vapor (Fig. 2d).

Figure 5.1: Fabrication process diagram: a) SOI wafer passivation and SV deposition and
patterning; b) vias, metal contacts definition and passivation; c) PMs patterning and
passivation; d) DRIE and HF vapor

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 NOVEL MAGNETIC READOUT FOR HYBRID SPINTRONIC MEMES DEVICES

5.2 SEM OF FABRICATED STRUCTURE

The fabricated structures (Fig. 3) comprise a perforated central movable mass suspended
by four folded springs. The structure layout promotes movement in one direction (longitudinal)
and it is stiffer in the cross-axis and out-of-place directions. The structures designed are
composed by four pairs of PMs and four SVs. This allows for differential sensing which can be
used not only to linearize the response but also to decrease the system’s sensitivity to undesired
external magnetic fields. At the same time, this arrangement enables bi-directional readings.
The structure’s movable gap is 2.25 μm, with a displacement limited to 2 μm towards each side
(left and right) by mechanical stoppers. Hence, the gap can shift between 0.25 μm and 4.25 μm
when the structure moves. The movable PMs are spaced 4.25 μm away from the SVs ,when the
structure is centered, while the fixed PMs are at a 4 μm distance. The fixed PMs create a
constant magnetic field at the SV location, which serves as an offset over which the magnetic
field variation (due to the movable PM) will be measured. This is used to center the SV’s linear
range near 0 Oe (no externally applied field).

Figure 5.2: SEM of a fabricated structure and detail of the permanent magnets (movable and
fixed) near the SV, folded spring and linear comb drive.

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 NOVEL MAGNETIC READOUT FOR HYBRID SPINTRONIC MEMES DEVICES

The spin valves were designed to be more sensitive to the magnetic field in the direction of the
movement (x direction) of the PM, and less sensitive in the other directions. This is achieved by
maximizing the ratio between length and width, keeping however the SV confined in an area of
uniform PM-generated magnetic field. The designed SV dimensions are 40 μm by 2 μm.
Additionally, the shape of the PM (110μm by 20μm) was chosen in order to maximize the
magnitude and uniformity of the magnetic field at SV location. The PM fabricated is 100nm
thick and it is characterized by a product of permanent magnetization by thickness of Mr.t
≈0.9x10-3 emu/cm2. In order to allow comparison of this spintronics with the capacitive
readout (work in progress), the fabricated microstructures also comprise parallel-plates. The
structures have different parallel-plates for sensing and for actuation (fewer and stiffer) and also
sets of linear comb fingers. The structure can be actuated, and its displacement sensed,
bi-directionally, due to the different sets of electrostatic micro-actuators (parallel-plate gap
changing electrodes and area-changing comb fingers.

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 NOVEL MAGNETIC READOUT FOR HYBRID SPINTRONIC MEMES DEVICES

CHAPTER 6

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

6.1 SV TRANSFER CURVES

The results featured in this section concern one single SV instead of the differential
operation (due to process yield limitations). The transfer curves of the SVs are obtained by
applying an external magnetic field and measuring the changes in the electrical resistance of the
SV. An Helmholtz coils setup capable of providing a magnetic field range of about ±200 Oe
was used. A bias current of 1mA was applied to the spin valve with a current source and the
voltage at its terminals was measured with a multimeter (four-point probe measurement). A
magnetoresistance of approximately MR = 2.5 % over an SV resistance of 670 Ω was obtained
(16.8 mV or 16.8 Ω variation measured). Higher magnetoresistance values (up to 10% [9]) have
although been achieved with optimized fabrication parameters. A linear range larger than 100
Oe was observed, resulting in a sensitivity of S = 0.015%/Oe. Similar permanent magnets were
fabricated on the same die and characterized by scanning magnetoresistance microscopy
enabled by AFM cantilevers with integrated magnetic sensors [10]. The results (Fig. 4) show
significant edge effects but, given the SV high proximity, the SV is located in the high magnetic
field derivative region. A maximum of 40 Oe magnetic field relative to the surrounding region
was measured at the PM.

Figure 6.1 SV transfer curves

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 NOVEL MAGNETIC READOUT FOR HYBRID SPINTRONIC MEMES DEVICES

The fabricated movable structure was then actuated to each side up to its
maximum displacement (i.e., 2μm to each side until reaching the mechanical stoppers) by
applying a voltage higher than the pull-in threshold to the parallel-plate electrostatic
micro-actuators. A sweep of external magnetic field (with Helmholtz coils) was performed at
these maximum displacements and the transfer curves are shown in Fig. 5. One can conclude
that the difference between the two curves (black horizontal arrow) is due to the different
magnetic fields induced by the movable PM on the SV. In other words, in one of the curves the
movable PM is approximately at a 2.25μm distance from the SV, while in the other
curve/position it is at a 6.25μm distance, which changes the magnetic field sensed by the SV. In
this plot, the output (voltage measured at the terminals of the SV) is normalized to its maximum
variation.
The asymmetry observed is due to the nonlinearity of the single ended readout
mode. As the movable PM approaches the SV, the magnetic field increase sensed by the SV
increases nonlinearly (as seen in Fig. 1). The displacement from the rest position to either side
should nevertheless be approximately 2 μm, and the sum of the absolute displacements exactly
4 μm. From Fig. 5 one can observe that at 0 Oe (external applied field) the SV output changes
exceed 25% FS between the two maximum displacements (left/right, red vertical arrow). This
translates to 1mV/μm
If one applies a voltage (Vact) ramp to the comb drive, the structure moves linearly with Vact
2. The SV can track this movement, with no external magnetic field applied, as shown in Fig. 6.
The featured output values are calibrated for the maximum SV output variation, i.e. the output
when pulled-in to the right in respect to the output when pulled in to the left (red vertical arrow
in Fig. 5). The displacement curves shown concern the modelled values (estimations). When
applying a voltage ramp to the parallel-plate actuators, the electrostatic pull-in transition is
induced. This behaviour is observed at the SV output .

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 NOVEL MAGNETIC READOUT FOR HYBRID SPINTRONIC MEMES DEVICES

The differential measurement is expected, according to simulations, to linearize the output in a

wide range, including the full gap. Differential measurements are not featured in this work due
to limited process yield of the

Fig 6.2 SV voltage output actuated by linear comp drive

Fig 6.3 SV voltage output for actuation with parallel plate micro-actuators

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 NOVEL MAGNETIC READOUT FOR HYBRID SPINTRONIC MEMES DEVICES

CONCLUSION

We have presented a novel MEMS displacement readout concept, based on magnetic field
detection, using spintronics sensors and movable permanent magnets. The proof-of-concept
has been successfully demonstrated, despite the non-optimum spin valve magneto
resistance. The displacement of a microstructure was monitored when the structure was
actuated with the comb drive(displacement linear with squared voltage) and the parallel
plate micro actuators (non-linear displacement with electrostatic pull-in behaviour).The use
of this spintronics readout has several potential advantages: -presents a very small form
factor that can enable very small MEMS devices;- does not require an external generator;
the magnetic field is provided by the PMs;- allows for xyz integrability since PM movements
in other directions can also be sensed as a decrease in the

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 EFFICIENT DESIGNS OF MULTIPORTED MEMORY ON FPGA

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