Magnetic element having an improved measurement range

1. A magnetic element comprising:

a magnetic tunnel junction element including a tunnel barrier layer sandwiched between a first ferromagnetic layer having a first magnetization and a second ferromagnetic layer having a second magnetization; and

a field device configured to apply an external magnetic field adapted for varying the orientation of the first magnetization while the orientation of the second magnetization remain unchanged;

wherein the first ferromagnetic layer is configured such that the first magnetization comprises a stable magnetization vortex configuration;

wherein the first ferromagnetic layer is further configured to comprise an indentation such that a vortex core of the magnetization vortex, upon vortex nucleation or renucleation, is located substantially at the indentation;

wherein when the external magnetic field is applied in a first field direction the vortex core moves along a first path and the first magnetization rotates around the vortex core in a counterclockwise direction in the plane of the first ferromagnetic layer;

wherein when the external magnetic field is applied in a second field direction opposed to the first field direction, the vortex core moves along a second path and the first magnetization rotates around the vortex core in a clockwise direction in the plane of the first ferromagnetic layer;

wherein both the first and second field path are substantially identical and move the vortex core away from the indentation;

wherein the first ferromagnetic layer has an elliptical shape with an aspect ratio between 1 and 2, an indentation depth of the indentation being 0.1 the minor axis of the ellipse; and

wherein the indentation comprises a convex peripheric portion along the periphery of the first ferromagnetic layer and the radius of the peripheric portion being 0.5 the depth.

2. The magnetic element according to claim 1 , wherein the indentation comprises a substantially flat peripheric portion along the periphery of the first ferromagnetic layer.

3. The magnetic element according to claim 1 , wherein the indentation comprises a circular shaped notch along the periphery of the first ferromagnetic layer.

4. The magnetic element according to claim 1 , wherein the indentation comprises a rectangular or rectangular shaped notch along the periphery of the first ferromagnetic layer.

5. The magnetic element according to claim 1 , comprising more than one indentation,

wherein the shape of each indentation is asymmetric relative to the shape of the other indentations.

6. The magnetic element according to claim 1 , wherein the indentation depth is between 10% and 30% of the smaller dimension in the plane of the first ferromagnetic layer.

7. The magnetic element according to claim 1 , wherein the first ferromagnetic layer has an aspect ratio of 1.5.

8. The magnetic element according to claim 7 , wherein the indentation depth is between 10% and 30% of the length of the minor axis of the first ferromagnetic layer.

9. The magnetic element according to claim 1 , wherein the peripheric portion is orientated substantially parallel to the orientation of the external magnetic field.

10. The magnetic element according to claim 1 , wherein said field device comprises a field line arranged for passing a field current such as to generate the external magnetic field.

11. The magnetic element according to claim 1 , wherein the first ferromagnetic layer comprises at least another indentation.

12. A magnetic sensor comprising a plurality of the magnetic element according to claim 1 .