Originally Published EMDM October 2002
INDUSTRY NEWS
Scientists Create Megagauss Sensors from Nonmagnetic Materials
A research team working at the University of Chicago (Chicago, IL, USA) has successfully combined nonmagnetic silver chalcogenides to form megagauss sensors. Discovering the material's unexpected magnetic properties while probing its glassy structure for other qualities, the scientists have employed the sensors to accurately measure ac or dc fields as strong as 600,000 G. By comparison, most conventional measurement techniques can only assess fields of up to 250,000 G without decreasing accuracy.
Roughly the size of a pencil tip, the 1-mm3 sensors could also
offer device manufacturers cost benefits. "Production costs for the sensors
are quite low, as the materials used are inexpensive and the manufacturing processes
are straightforward," explains research team member and physics professor
Thomas Rosenbaum. Because the sensors can precisely measure extremely strong
magnetic fields, they have possible applications in MRI equipment and other
medical devices, according to Rosenbaum. "The sensors would be very good
anywhere you need to accurately measure a magnetic field that changes a lot
over a small region of space," the says.
Zachary Turke
Copyright ©2002 European Medical Device Manufacturer
