IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MAGNETICS, VOL. MAG-21, NO.

5, SEPTEMBER1985 2017

LARGEBARKHAUSEN EFFECT AND MATTEUCCI EFFECT I N AMORPHOUS

MAGNETOSTRICTIVE WIRES FOR PULSE GENERATORELEMENTS

K. Mohri", F. B. HumphreykJC, J. Yamasaki" and F. Kinoshita"

ABSTUCT

The mechanisms p r o d u c i n g t h e s e n s i t i v e l a r g e Bark-

hausen e f f e c t and the Matteucci effect in as-prepared
amorphous magnetostrictive wires a r e i n v e s t i g a t e d u s i n g
colloid technique domain observations and Sixtus-Tonks
domain propagationCharacteristics.Theoreticalanalysis
of the pulse height of induced voltage at the pick-up
windings andbetween bothendsof t h e w i r e a r e made.
This analysis i s compared with experimental results.
The Matteucci effect was remarkably improved by t w i s t i n g
o r twisting then annealing the as-prepared wires.
Jitter-less pulse generation is realized in the latter
case.

I. INTRODUCTION

Amorphous magnetostrictive wires [ 1 3 generate very

stable sharp voltage pulses in ac fields more than 0.08
Oe a t f r e q u e n c i e s from0.01 Hz - 10 kHz. These wires
(a-wire for short) have acompositionof FeglB14Si4C1,
Fe77.5Si7.5B15and adiameter from120 - 130 pm. These
s t a b l e p u l s e s a r e s e e n a t t h e pick-up coils o r between
bothendsof t h e w i r e due t o the almost complete large
Barkhausen effect (LBH-effect) and t h e M a t t e u c c i e f f e c t
[ I 1 . These j i t t e r - l e s s p u l s e g e n e r a t o r e l e m e n t s are
widely applicable to magnetic sensors such as rotary
encoders, security sensors and zero-phase detectors [ 21.
I n t h i s p a p e r , domain observations are made using a
f e r r o f l u i d . Domain wall p r o p a g a t i o nc h a r a c t e r i s t i c s
a l o n g t h e wire a x i s c a u s i n g t h e LBH e f f e c t and t h e
Matteuccieffectareanalyz,ed.Theoreticalvaluesof
p u l s e v o l t a g e s a r e compared with experimental values.
Remarkableimprovement f o r t h e M a t t e u c c i e f f e c t is
r e a l i z e d by u s i n g t w i s t i n g o r twisting then annealing
techniques.

11. DOMAIN OBSERVATIONS

Domain observations were made on the a-wire surface

using a .dilute colloid (about 1 % liquid with a water-
base ferrofluid) for investigation of the stress d i s t r i -
bution of the wire.
Figure 1 shows domain p a t t e r n s o f an as-prepared and
annealeda-wires(Fe77.5Si7.5B15; 80-mm long, 125-pm
diameter). Zig-zag walls on t h e whole s u r f a c e a s 'shown
in (a) indicate the existence of 90" w a l l s w i t h t h e
induced anisotropy perpendicular to the wire surface.
In a d d i t i o n , t h e p a r a l l e l p a t t e r n s o f t h e s e w a l l s w i t h
angles f 40"-70" i n r e s p e c t t o t h e wire a x i s show t h e
existenceof random t w i s t i n g stress d i r e c t i o n .S t r e s s
d i r e c t i o ni nt l a l l i s i n v e r s et ot h a ti nl l b l l . These
random t w i s t i n g stresses and axially compressive stress-
es a t t h e a-wire surface are introduced during the
s o l i d i f i c a t i o n o f t h e wire i n t h e j e t water stream [ 3 ] .
Almost completely bistable, flux changesoccur i n t h i s
wire as shownby t h e r e c t a n g u l a r BH l o o p a d j a c e n t t o t h e
domain p i c t u r e s . The peak f i e l d is given by HSk.
Figure , I ( b ) represents a variation of domain p a t t e r n s
of an as-prepared wire due t o a f l a s h a n n e a l i n g [ 41.

Manuscriptreceived March 1 , 1985.

it Kyushu I n s t i t u t eo f Technology,Tobata,Kitakyushu
804, Japan.
Carnegie-Mellon University,Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania
1521 3.

0018-9464/85/0900-2017$01.0001985 IEEE
2018

Some p o r t i o n s o f t h e w i r e are s l i g h t l y a n n e a l e d by apply- current damping c o e f f i c i e n t and Ho: c r i t i c a l f i e l d of

i n g a wire c u r r e n t o f 0.4 A, 2 s e c . , wherean c i r c u l a r domain propagation).
d i r e c t i o n a n i s o t r o p y i s induceddue t o t h e wire current 'The magnitude of voltage pulses a t t h e pick-up c o i l ,
and snake-like walls with small a n g l e s i n r e s p e c t t o t h e ep, due to the LBH effect can be calculated by assum-
wire axis appear(regionllcll). The60 Hz BH loop shows mg circular-plate shape domain walls propagating
s t i l l b i s t a b l e f l u x r e v e r s a l similar t o t h a t i n ( a ) . through the inner core of an as-prepared a-wire [ 1 1,
F i g u r e l ( c ) showsdomain p a t t e r n s a f t e r a n n e a l i n g
with 37OoC, 30 min. f o r anas-prepared wire. All domain ep = D'N Nw Ms Bs COS 0 (HI' - KO) / (I)
walls align in parallel along the circumference of t h e
wire due t o r e l e a s e of random t w i s t i n g stresses and t h e where, D i s theinner-corediameter, Bs t h e s a t u r a t i o n
wire form e f f e c t . Zig-zag w a l lp a t t e r n s s t i l l remained. flux density, NW t h e number of domain walls propagating
The 60 Hz BH loop no longer shows t h e b i s t a b l e b e h a v i o r . through the pick-up coil, 0 the average angle of the
From these domain observations, i t i s e s t i m a t e d t h a t magnetization vector along the wire axis, N t h e number
t h e LBH e f f e c t and the Matteucci effect of as-prepared of turns of t h e pick-up c o i l , H" t h e c r i t i c a l f i e l d of
a-wires are dominated byrandom t w i s t i n g stresses appli- domain n u c l e a t i o n f o r t h e f l u x r e v e r s a l .
ed t o t h e i n n e r s o f t - m a g n e t i c c o r e . . The LBH effect occurs for the amplitude, Hm, of t h e
e x t e r n a l a c f i e l d when Hm 1 H*. E f f e c t s o f Hm and t h e
111. LARGE BARKHAUSEN
EFFECT frequency, f , of t h e a c f i e l d on ep are o n l y f o r Nw
which increaseswithincreasing Hm and f . Therefore,
Figure 2 shows t h e e x p e r i m e n t a l r e s u l t s o f t h e LBH t h e magnitudeofep i s independent of Hm andf when 9
e f f e c t of a 60-cm long a-wire magnetized with a positive i s d e t e c t e d a t a s u f f i c i e n t t h i n pick-up c o i l such
d e f i e l d , H < HIC, a f t e r a p p l y i n g a s u f f i c i e n t l y l a r g e that only one wall propagates through it.
n e g a t i v e f i e l d t o s e t t h e wire i n t h e n e g a t i v e s a t u r a t e d Figure 4 shows ep versus f characteristics with
s t a t e . Photographs(a) and ( b )i l l u s t r a t ef o u r pick-up pick-up c o i l l e n g t h , LC, asaparameterfor a 100-mm
coil voltage pulses seen after the application of the long as-prepared wire (Fe77.5Si7.5B15)magnetizedwith
n u c l e a t ep u l s e ,e l , .. , e4, a t H = Hit (0.08 Oe) f o r Ro as i n u s o i d a lf i e l d of1 Oe amplitude. The d o t t e dl i n e
= 12 cm and 8 cm, respectively. Thedomain wall length shows t h e c a l c u l a t e d v a l u e s o f ep s u b s t i t u t i n g D = 110
along the wire axis is estimated to be slightly long pm, N = 400, Nw = 1 , Bs = 15.5 kG, Hit = 0.08 Oe, Ho =
duringpropagationin(a)(el > . . . > el,), while e4 i s 0 . 0 3 Oe, Ms/B = 900 m/sec*Oe i n t o e q u a t i o n ( 1 ) .
remarkablyincreased a t Ro = 8 cm. Themechanism i s not The e f f e c t of increasing Nw with increasing f is
c l e a r b u t i s probably due t o a w a l l n u c l e a t i n g a t t h e observed a t kc = 5 and 50 m m, while only one wall
f a r enddue t o t h e d e m a g n e t i z i n g f i e l d of t h e w i r e . propagation i s e s t i m a t e d i n t h e I-mm l o n g c o i l .
Adjacent pulses separate f o r R > 8 cm, so t h a t t h e wall Figure 5 r e p r e s e n t s t h e p u l s e wave shapesofa 17-mm
l e n g t h a l o n g t h e wire a x i s i s estimated at about 8 cm long Wiegand wire and 17-mm long (sensing part) and
duringpropagation. The amplitudeof e4 i s maximum f o r 100-mm longa-wires(Fe77.5Si7.5B15)magnetizedwith
Eo n e a r l y e q u a l t o t h e wall length. When H 2 Hit(= 0.0 60 Hz s i n u s o i d a lf i e l d . The 17-mm longsensorusing
8 Oe), new domains n u c l e a t e a t p o s i t i o n s t h a n o t h e r t h e a 40-mm long a-wire has worked as a motor speed sensor
nucleating coil. f o r a rapid quenching device for more than 2 years
Figh-e 3 i l l u s t r a t e s t h e domain-wall propagation without any aging.
speed, v, versus H measured using the apparatus shown
i n F i g u r e 2. A l i n e a r r e l a t i o n o f v = A( H - Ho ) i s
obtained for the as-prepared wire, giving A = 2 Ms / B
= 1800m/sec.Oe (Ms: s a t u r a t i o nm a g n e t i z a t i o n , 6 : eddy

1Hz E

I R

H = 0.08 Oe 0.5 m s / d i v .

H (Oe)
F i g . 3 . Characteristics of v VS. H.

Fig.2. Domain propagation experiments.

 2019

90
80
Pick
H m = l . O Oe) P
u coil

"0.1 1 10 100
f (Hz)
Fig.4. Characteristics o f ep vs. f.
Fig.6. Characteristics o f ep'vs. ntw.

pulse generating characteristics are obtained at the

10 Oe annealingwith twist. The magnitudeofepchanges
only slightly through these treatments due t o s m a l l
20 Oe change of cos0 i n e q u a t i o n ( 1 ) .
V. CONCLUSIONS
100 Oe It i s concludedfrom t h e domain o b s e r v a t i o n s t h a t
t h e LBH f l u x jumps ofas-prepareda-wiresdominantly
, 17 mm ' 17 mm 1 100 nm occur due t o t h e e f f e c t of random t w i s t i n g s t r e s s e s
Wiegand wire Amorphous wire introduced in the wire during solidification in the
jet water.
Fig.5. Pulse shapes for a Wiegand Pulse sharpening o r pulse-height increasing phenome-
wire and amorphous wires. .na occur a t a pick-up coil in the Sixtus-Tonks exper-
iments when t h e c o i l i s l o c a t e d a p a r t from t h e endof
a wire with a distance of about a propagating wall
length.
Remarkableimprovementsof Matteucci voltage pulses
a r e r e a l i z e d due t o t r e a t m e n t s s u c h a s t w i s t i n g or
I V . MATTEUCCI EFFECT flash annealing with a t w i s t .

The s e n s i t i v e M a t t e u c c i e f f e c t i n d u c e s s h a r p v o l t a g e REFERENCES
p u l s e s , e p ' , between t h e endsofthea-wire when it i s
i n an a c f i e l d of more than 0.1 Oe a t f r e q u e n c i e s 0.01 [ I ] K. Mohri, F.B. Humphrey, J. Yamasakiand K. Okamura
Hz - 10 H z (H >Hit). It i s caused by a h e l i c a l compound T. IEEE onMagn., MAG-20, No.5,1409 (1984).
i n t h e m a g n e t i z a t i o n of the wire. The amorphous wire i s made by UNITIKA Co., U j i ,
The magnitudeof 9' i s obtained by u s i n g t h e r e l a t - Kyoto, Japan.
ionofrotE = - a B / a t and Stokes' Theorem: [ 2 ] K. Mohri, i b i d . , MAG-20, No.?, 942 (1984).
ep' = 2 D L N, M, B s sine (H" - Ho) / 6 (2) [ 3 ] I. Ohnaka, T. Fukusako, T. Ohmichi, T. Masumoto,
A . Inoueand M . Hagiwara, P r o c .4 t hI n t . Conf.on
__
where L i s the wire length and B, s i n e i s t h e r e s u l t a n t
Rapidly Quenched Metals, 31 (1 981 , Sendai) .
[ 41 T. J a g i e l i n s k i , T . IEEE on Magn. , MAG-I 9 , No. 5,
component of t h e f l u x density perpendicular to a plane 1925 (1 983).
including the wire axis and a wire radius due t o t h e
random t w i s t i n g s t r e s s e s .
' The voltageep'hasthe same f u n c t i o n a l dependence
on fand Hm as ep. The theoreticalvaluesalmostagree
w i t h e x p e r i m e n t a l v a l u e s f o r Rc = 1 mm are obtained by
s u b s t i t u t i n g Nw = 1and s i n e = 0.1 i n t o e q u a t i o n ( 2 ) .
Figure 6 shows t h e e x p e r i m e n t a l r e s u l t s ofep'versus
t h e amount of twist, n t w , ( s o l i d l i n e ) and f o r t h e
amount of twist followed by a n a n n e a l ( d o t t e d l i n e ) .
The magnitudeofep' i s g r e a t l y changeddue t o t h e s e
treatments,e.g.about 20 timesincreased by t w i s t i n g
with ntw 2 0.1 turn/cmandabout15times by a f l a s h
annealing with 0.4 A, 2 sec: with a twist of n t w = 0.3
turn/cm. T h s i m p r o v e m e n t s a r e presumablydue t o t h e
i n c r e a s e of s i n e by alignment of magnetization.vectors
w i t ht h ei n v e r s em a g n e t o s t r i c t i v ee f f e c t .J i t t e r - l e s s