Zigzag-shaped magnetic sensors

Magnetism in zigzag-shaped thin-film elements is investigated using scanning electron microscopy with polarization analysis, magnetotransport measurements, and micromagnetic simulations. We find that the angle of magnetization alternates along the length of the element, and is strongly correlated to the corrugated edges. We show that this simple and unique geometry can be used as a single-axis magnetic field sensor. In this configuration, the sensors are primarily sensitive to fields parallel to the applied current. Our results can be interpreted in terms of a coherent rotation model of the magnetization. These devices are scalable to nanometer dimensions.