Spintronics company NVE Corporation has introduced two new sensors that provide enhanced capabilities for design engineers working in nanotechnology-level magnetic sensing. One is an ultraminiature wafer-level chip-scale package switch sensor for logic power or battery supplies. The other is a giant magnetoresistance (GMR) analog magnetometer sensor that achieves an extraordinary new level of temperature stability for analog sensing.
Announced August 5, the new and improved AA00x-Series GMR magnetometer sensor represents an advancement from an already best-in-class temperature coefficient of 0.1 percent per degree Celsius, now to a remarkable 0.05 percent per degree Celsius. Configured as inherently temperature-compensating Wheatstone bridges, there are six field ranges ranges spanning from well below 0.1 millitesla to more than 45 millitesla. Their extraordinary stability makes them an excellent choice for a variety of analog sensing applications including position, speed and current sensors.
Unique magnetic switch sensors
Earlier, NVE announced the first parts in its new ADLxxx-20E line of ultraminiature Wafer-Level Chip-Scale Package (WLCSP) magnetic switch sensors, pictured above. The new versions are designed for 3.3-volt logic power or battery supplies and feature an extended operating temperature range up to 125°C. The 0.65 by 0.65 millimeter (0.025 by 0.025 inch) package is ideal for space-constrained applications and provides unmatched spatial sensitivity and precision. The open-drain outputs sink up to 100 microamps, and the magnetic operate points are as low as one millitesla.
Magnetic switches turn on when a magnetic field is applied and turn off when the field is removed. The applied field can be of either polarity, and the operate points are extremely stable over supply voltage and temperature. The company’s first line of WLCSP magnetic switch sensors, the AHLxxx-20E series parts, were introduced in late 2024. Those parts are designed for 1.5-volt battery operation and were limited to to 85°C.
Based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota NVE is a leader in the practical commercialization of spintronics, a nanotechnology that relies on electron spin rather than electron charge to acquire, store, and transmit information. The company is a prolific developer and manufacturer of spintronic products including sensors and couplers that are used to acquire and transmit data. See www.nve.com.
