A magnetic sensor includes: a sensitive layer made of a soft magnetic material with uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, the sensitive layer being configured to sense a magnetic field by a magnetic impedance effect; and a magnet layer made of a magnetized hard magnetic material and disposed to face the sensitive layer. The magnet layer is configured to apply a DC magnetic bias Hb in a direction intersecting a direction of the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in the sensitive layer, the DC magnetic bias Hb having a greater value than an anisotropic magnetic field Hk of the sensitive layer.

A magneto-sensitive wire for a magnetic sensor with both measurement range expansion and environment resistance performance improvement, includes a Co-based alloy containing more Fe than a reference composition that is amorphous overall and exhibits zero magnetostriction. The Co-based alloy may have an Fe ratio (Fe/(Co+Fe+Ni)) of 6.1% to 9.5%. The Fe ratio is an atomic fraction of the Fe amount with respect to the total amount of a magnetic element group consisting of Co, Fe, and Ni. By heating an amorphous wire of a Co-based alloy at a temperate at least equal to a crystallization start temperature and lower than a crystallization end temperature, allows the magneto-sensitive wire to have a composite structure in which crystal grains are dispersed in the amorphous phase. The magneto-sensitive wire's anisotropy field is, for example, 5 to 70 Oe and the stress sensitivity, indicative of magnetostriction, is −30 to 30 mOe/MPa.

A magnetic sensor includes: plural sensitive elements 31 each including a soft magnetic material layer 105 having a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction and a conductor layer having higher conductivity than the soft magnetic material layer 105 and extending through the soft magnetic material layer 105 in a longitudinal direction, the sensitive element 31 having uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction and being configured to sense a magnetic field by a magnetic impedance effect; and a connecting portion 32 continuous with the conductor layer of the sensitive element and configured to connect transversely adjacent sensitive elements 31 in series.

A radio frequency (RF) weak magnetic field detection sensor includes a ferromagnetic core, a pickup coil disposed to surround the ferromagnetic core, a substrate that includes an opening, a core pad connected to the ferromagnetic core and a coil pad connected to the pickup coil, and an insulating tube interposed between the ferromagnetic core and the pickup coil. The insulating tube includes a bobbin around which the pickup coil is wound, and a core hole formed to pass through the bobbin and configured to accommodate the ferromagnetic core.

An external field response distribution visualization device includes: an induction circuit that induces a first field component from each of induction positions; a sensor that senses a field strength at sensing positions for each of the induction positions; and an information processing circuit that generates an image showing an external field response distribution. The information processing circuit: calculates, using the sensing result as a boundary condition, an induction position dependent field function that takes an induction and sensing positions as inputs and outputs the field strength; calculates an imaging function that takes an imaging target position as an input and outputs an image intensity, and is defined based on the strength output from the induction position dependent field function in response to inputting the imaging target position; and generates the image based on the imaging function.

An information processing device and a magnetic sensor system are provided, in which accuracy of frequency measurement is less likely to deteriorate even though the frequency of output signals outputted from the magnetic sensor increases, and which have detection limits for high frequency measurement even with a minute frequency change rate. An information processing device 120 includes: an obtaining part 31 obtaining an output signal outputted by a magnetic sensor and oscillating at a frequency determined in response to strength of a magnetic field; a frequency determination part 32 utilizing interference between the output signal and a reference signal with a reference frequency, which is a frequency used as a reference, to determine the frequency of the output signal; and a magnetic field calculation part 40 calculating the strength of the magnetic field based on the determined frequency of the output signal.

A magnetic sensor 1 includes: a nonmagnetic substrate 10; a sensitive element 31 laminated on the substrate 10, the sensitive element 31 being made of a soft magnetic material, the sensitive element 31 having a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction and having uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction, the sensitive element 31 being configured to sense a magnetic field by a magnetic impedance effect; and a pair of thin-film magnets 20a, 20b laminated on the substrate 10 and disposed to face each other in the longitudinal direction across the sensitive element 31, the pair of thin-film magnets 20a, 20b being configured to apply a magnetic field in the longitudinal direction of the sensitive element 31.

A magnetic sensor 1 includes a plurality of sensitive elements 31 made of a soft magnetic material. The sensitive elements 31 have a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction and have a uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction. The sensitive elements 31 are configured to sense a magnetic field by a magnetic impedance effect. The sensitive elements 31 are arranged with a gap in between in the transverse direction. The magnetic sensor 1 includes a connecting portion 32 configured to connect longitudinal ends of transversely adjacent ones of the sensitive elements 31. The connecting portion 32 has a width in the transverse direction that narrows as the connecting portion 32 approaches the ones of the sensitive elements 31 along the longitudinal direction.

A magnetic sensor includes: a non-magnetic substrate; and a sensitive element 31 having a longitudinal direction and a short direction, provided with uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in a direction crossing the longitudinal direction, and sensing a magnetic field by a magnetic impedance effect, wherein the sensitive element 31 includes plural soft magnetic material layers 105a to 105d and plural non-magnetic material layers 106a to 106c configured with a non-magnetic material and laminated between the plural soft magnetic material layers 105a to 105d, and the soft magnetic material layers 105a to 105d facing each other with each of the non-magnetic material layers 106a to 106c interposed therebetween are antiferromagnetically coupled.

Aspects of this disclosure relate to one or more particles that move within a container in response to a magnetic field. A measurement circuit is configured to output an indication of the magnetic field based on position of the one or more particles.