TMR assembly having a heat sink
Methods and apparatus for a sensor including a series of tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) pillars and a heatsink adjacent to at least one of the TMR pillars, where the heatsink comprises Titanium Nitride (TiN).
1. A sensor, comprising:
a series of tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) pillars;
a heatsink adjacent to at least one of the TMR pillars, wherein the heatsink comprises Titanium Nitride (TiN);
a first series of vias from ones of the TMR pillars to a first layer of TiN to provide a thermal path to a substrate; and
a second series of vias from the first layer of TiN to a second layer of TiN.
2. The sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the heatsink includes a main portion surrounding the TMR pillars.
3. The sensor according to claim 2 , wherein the main portion has a rectangular shape.
4. The sensor according to claim 2 , wherein the main portion comprises a series of apertures corresponding to locations of the TMR pillars.
5. The sensor according to claim 4 , wherein the main portion is a contiguous layer.
6. The sensor according to claim 4 , wherein the main portion is formed from a single layer of material.
7. The sensor according to claim 4 , wherein the heatsink comprises connector portions that connect adjacent ones of the TMR pillars.
8. The sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the TMR pillars provide at least one resistor in a Wheatstone bridge.
9. A method, comprising:
employing a series of tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) pillars in a sensor;
employing a heatsink adjacent to at least one of the TMR pillars, wherein the heatsink comprises Titanium Nitride (TiN);
employing a first series of vias from ones of the TMR pillars to a first layer of TiN to provide a thermal path to a substrate; and
employing a second series of vias from the first layer of TiN to a second layer of TiN.
10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the heatsink includes a main portion surrounding the TMR pillars.
11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the main portion has a rectangular shape.
12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the main portion comprises a series of apertures corresponding to locations of the TMR pillars.
13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the main portion is a contiguous layer.
14. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the main portion is formed from a single layer of material.
15. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the heatsink comprises connector portions that connect adjacent ones of the TMR pillars.
16. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the TMR pillars provide at least one resistor in a Wheatstone bridge.