Magnetic bistability of amorphous wires and sensor applications

In this work, the general features concerning the bistable magnetic behaviour of amorphous wires are first introduced. Then, some new results related with the switching mechanism wall and the involved domain wall propagation are presented which allow us to get deeper knowledge of the actual magnetization reversal process. Based on these new findings, some applications are envisaged. In particular the following applications are described: magnetoelastic sensors using the Matteucci and the inverse Wiedemann effects, size reduced pulse generators and magnetic switches using bent magnetostrictive amorphous wires, encoders with non-magnetostrictive amorphous wires as sensing elements and magnetic field detectors