Abstract

Monolayered Co and trilayered Co/Cu/Co were electroplated on 485 μm-diameter Cu wires using the bath pH 2.5.These wires can be functioned as magnetic sensors owing to their magnetoimpedance (Ml) effect. By measuring at four different frequencies (100, 250, 500, and 1000 kHz) and Co thicknesses (2.5, 5.0, 10.0, and 25.0 μm), the Ml ratio of electroplated Co on Cu wires tended to increase with increasing Co thickness and frequency of the driving current. The Co/Cu/Co on Cu wires exhibited even higher Ml ratio. The magnetic layer also regulated the magnetic inductions and anisotropy regardless of the size of nonmagnetic core. Nevertheless, the diameter of the Cu core had a significant effect on the Ml ratio. By comparing with the 47.7 μm-diameter Ag cores electroplated by Co and Co/Cu/Co of the same thickness, the Cu cores with a larger diameter gave rise to a larger Ml ratio because their lower electrical resistance enhanced the crossing effect. Substantial Ml ratio was observed even in a low frequency regime because the skin effect occurred at a low frequency in the case of electroplated wires with large core diameters. © 2009 by the Editorial Board of Journal of Materials Science and Technology, Shenyang, China. All rights reserved.