Patent ID: 7054114

Claim:
A ferromagnetic thin-film based magnetic field sensor, said sensor comprising: a substrate; and a plurality of sensing structures supported on said substrate each comprising: a nonmagnetic intermediate layer, said nonmagnetic intermediate layer having two major surfaces on opposite sides thereof; a magnetization reference layer on one of said nonmagnetic intermediate layer major surfaces having a relatively fixed magnetization direction; and a sensing film of an anisotropic ferromagnetic material on that remaining one of said nonmagnetic intermediate layer major surfaces having a length in a selected length direction and a width smaller in extent substantially perpendicular thereto but substantially parallel to said relatively fixed magnetization direction; and a first sensitive direction sensing structure and a second sensitive direction sensing structure in said plurality of sensing structures each having said relatively fixed magnetization direction of said magnetization reference layer therein oriented in substantially parallel to said substrate but substantially perpendicular to one another.