Millimeter-sized, ultra-sensitive planar Hall effect gradiometer

We present a miniature, ultra-sensitive magnetic field gradiometer in the form of a single elliptical planar Hall effect sensor that allows measuring magnetic field at 9 different locations on a 4 mm length scale [1]. The gradiometer detects magnetic field gradients with equivalent gradient magnetic noise levels of ∼ 958, ∼ 192, ∼ 51, and ∼ 26 \nT\m\surd Hz at 0.1, 1, 10, and 50 Hz, respectively, and tested under ambient conditions by measuring the field gradient produced by an electric current flowing through a straight wire. The compact size, low noise level, versatility, simple design, and low cost of this gradiometer makes it a suitable choice for detecting magnetic field gradients in small, confined spaces such as current probes or wearable electronic medical devices.