Abstract
The magneto-impedance (MI) characteristics of etched zero-amorphous wires with a diameter of 4.5-16 μm are investigated in comparision with those of amorphous wires with a diameter of 30 μm. The MI ratio decreased with decreasing diameter, while the magnetizing frequency at each maximum MI ratio and the starting frequency for the skin effect increased. The BH characteristics of the wires changed markedly with decreasing diameter owing to the increase in magnetic anisotropy along the wire axis, and a large Barkhausen flux jump was observed in thinner wires with a diameter of less than 10 μm . An MI sensor with a C-MOS multivibrator was constructed, containing a pair of micro-sized MI heads 0.7 mm in length.
