A thin layer of ruthenium (green in the cartoon) improves magnetic sensors by modulating interactions between a nickel/iron film (blue) that responds to external magnetic fields and an iridium/manganese stabilizer film (pink). The ruthenium aligns its electron spins, indicated by arrows, with the nearest layers in both films.

New research has discovered that using a nano-layer of ruthenium can help to significantly improve the stability of magnetic sensors.

According to research carried out by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the US, the ruthenium layer can act as a buffer between active layers of sensor materials.

This allows for magnetisation to be stabilised in a given direction in devices such as computer hard-disk readers, as well as enabling field instruments such as compasses to be customised.

The nano-layer of ruthenium aligns its electron spins with the nearest layers in both films of metal that it is sandwiched between.

Scientists found that ruthenium layers thicker than two nanometres prevent any coupling between the active films, but layers thinner than this were able to maintain sensor magnetisation without a boost from an electrical current or magnetic field. – Platinum Today