Impedance variation with subjecting to normal field for the stepped giant magnetoimpedance element

In this paper, an impedance variation for the stepped giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) element, when subjecting to a strong normal field, is reported. The stepped GMI element is an element which has an impedance-step property, which happens simultaneously with a change of magnetic domain. The strong normal field varies a profile of the sharp dip-point of the impedance-step, that is to say the normal field can control the dynamics of domain change of the element. The application of normal field also arises at a lower impedance state, which is expected as a hidden in-plane inclined Landau-Lifshitz-domain. This lower impedance state disappears by the application of in-plane magnetic field, which is larger than a certain value of threshold in absolute, and does not appear until the next application of the normal field. This element was proposed to apply a sensor with memory function in our prior work. The method reported in this paper would give a special function for the sensor application.