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  • Selective Laser Annealing for Monolithic Magnetic Sensors

    The award-winning microVEGA™ xMR system provides high-throughput laser annealing for monolithic magnetic sensor formation.

    Learn more and download our whitepaper
  • Selective Laser Annealing for Monolithic Magnetic Sensors

    The award-winning microVEGA™ xMR system provides high-throughput laser annealing for monolithic magnetic sensor formation.

    Learn more and download our whitepaper
  • Selective Laser Annealing for Monolithic Magnetic Sensors

    The award-winning microVEGA™ xMR system provides high-throughput laser annealing for monolithic magnetic sensor formation.

    Learn more and download our whitepaper
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Selective Laser Annealing Enables Higher Monolithic Magnetic Sensor Yields

Suitable for GMR or TMR (Giant or Tunneling Magneto-Resistance) Sensors

Magnetic sensors are a rapidly growing technology to help fulfill the promise of a world with intelligent electronic devices in every machine and every pocket. Magnetic sensors can be found in consumer electronics such as rotation sensors and e-compasses in smartphones and virtual reality headsets, in appliances such as linear position sensors and angle sensors for brushless DC motors, and in automotive applications such as power steering angle detection and electronic throttle control. Selective laser annealing enables magnetic processing of monolithic integrated sensors.

Laser annealing for setting the magnetic orientation

Programming GMR and TMR magnetic sensors involves setting the magnetic orientation of the reference (fixed) magnetic layer in the desired sensitivity direction. This programming – also known as pinning – can be accomplished by heating the sensor structure above the magnetic blocking temperature of the antiferromagnetic film that is adjacent to and that normally freezes the reference layer magnetization while applying an external magnetic field large enough to saturate the reference layer in the new chosen direction. Upon cooling in the external field, the saturated reference layer becomes fixed, or pinned, in the programmed direction.

The traditional approach has some major disadvantages

Thermal annealing has traditionally been used to achieve pinning. While this approach can enable batch processing of large numbers of wafers simultaneously, a key disadvantage of thermal annealing is the potential for process non-uniformity (temperature or magnetic field conditions) within wafers, or from wafer-to-wafer in batch processing. Another major disadvantage is the difficulty in targeting different parts of the same wafer for different programming conditions, which is necessary to organize two or four separate sensors within a single sensor chip in standard Wheatstone-bridge configurations to boost sensitivity and improve temperature stability. Multiple-die approaches to solve this problem are expensive and difficult to implement accurately, resulting in limited miniaturization, lower performance, and higher cost.

Laser annealing enables the programming of advanced sensors

Selective laser programming of magnetic sensors is a production-approved technology with many advantages. This solution significantly reduces the costs of sensor chip manufacturing by enabling a one-step process. Selective laser pinning is the most efficient technology in terms of cost, throughput, yield, sensitivity, and quality to accurately program magnet sensor devices. It can be programmed for different sensor and wafer designs by recipe. The conversion from GMR to TMR is done only by selecting the correct recipe.

The Game-Changer for Magnetic Sensor Manufacturing

3D-Micromac offers the first industrial production system for selective laser annealing in magnetic sensor production.
The unique, award-winning microVEGA xMR can process both GMR (Giant Magnetoresistance) and TMR (Tunnel Magnetoresistance) sensors.

  • Cost-efficient production of monolithically integrated sensor chips in just one production step

  • Very high energy homogeneity - resulting in improved sensor quality

  • Enables the production of smaller sensors

  • Unique selectivity and maximum precision for more devices per wafer

  • Allows sensor processing directly next to read-out electronics

  • Easily adjustment of the magnetic orientation, sensor position and sensor dimension

Logo of Laser Focus World Innovators Awards

In 2022 the microVEGA xMR system has been honored with the Laser Focus World Innovators Award.

Explore the microVEGA xMR system

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From the first idea to industrial production

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We fully support our customers in the qualification of product ideas as well as in the development of stable laser processes for production facilities.

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Are you planning only a small volume production that an invest in your own laser production systems wouldn’t pay off?

Do you need an interim solution until your new production equipment will be delivered?

With our unique process expertise we manufacture high-quality components as contract manufacturing service for you.

Production efficiency and cost awareness are always our top priority.

More information: Contract Manufacturing by 3D-Micromac

Contract Manufacturing by 3D-Micromac

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We offer machining solutions build with high German quality standards focussing on an optimized workflow.

Our laser systems deliver leading edge processes with superior production efficiency. Customer-specific adaptations of the laser systems are our daily business.

More information: Laser systems by 3D-Micromac

We are the leading specialist in laser micromachining.

Our laser expertise and engineering competency allow us to stand alongside our customers as reliable partners in technology and process development, contract manufacturing as well as in the development of manufacturing solutions and customer-specific systems.

We are able to find the most efficient solution for you!

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