Ferrite Scanning Microscope Based on Magnetic Tunnel Junction Sensor

We have developed a scanning magnetic microscope (SMM) based on a magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) magnetoresistive (MR) sensor. The microscope is based on commercially available components employing two sets of scanning stages and a MTJ sensor. Spatial resolution and noise sensitivity were investigated using two MTJ sensors, one having high spatial resolution and the other low noise but coarser spatial resolution. We present measurements of magnetic field images from ferrite concentration calibration standards and a stainless steel welded specimen both imaged using a magnetoresistive scanning microscope. A sensitivity of ~ 10 μT/FN was obtained from standards with defined ferrite numbers (FN). This microscope represents a new powerful tool for the characterization and investigations of delta ferrite concentrations in stainless steel welded samples.