Abstract: A thin-layer magnetic field sensor in which a thin magnetic layer which is magnetized in a preferred direction is surrounded by a magnetic HF measuring coil with variable inductance and in which an external magnetic field and the coil axis are aligned so as to be parallel to one of the preferred directions. The sensor comprises a sequence of geometrically structured layers arranged on a substrate, i.e. a structurized metal electrically conducting layer, a dielectric layer, a magnetic layer magnetized in a preferred direction, a further dielectric layer and a further structurized metal electrically conducting layer which forms with the first electrically conducting layer a coil which surrounds the magnetic layer.

Abstract: A method of structuring oxide layers, nitride layers or magnetic layers in such manner that a photolacquer mask is manufactured on a substrate and the layer to be structured is provided by means of cathode sputtering both on the photolacquer mask and on the surfaces of the substrate not covered with lacquer. The substrate is then treated with a solvent attacking the lacquer mask; the mask swells up and the parts of the layer to be structured present thereon are chipped off. In order to stimulate this latter process, a layer is provided below the photolacquer mask on the substrate relative to which photolacquer has a small adhesive capacity and, after providing the layer to be structured, an increase in volume of the lacquer mask is produced by thermal treatment. After the complete removal of the photolacquer mask and the parts of the layer to be structured present thereon, the structured thin layer remains on the substrate as a negative of the pattern of the photolacquer mask.

Abstract: In usual practice, cathodically etched structures typically show either non-etched parts (strong readsorption of sputtered material) or the etched structure shows strong grooves at the edges of the etching mask (strong back-diffusion of sputtered material). With a variation of the working gas pressure an adjustability of the average free path length of the atoms of the sputtered material and hence the adjustability of the quantity of material redeposited on the basis of back-diffusion is obtained. The working gas pressure can hence be adjusted so that the etching time to remove the readsorbed material and the material deposited again by back-diffusion is locally constant and equal etching rates are obtained for all areas of the structure to be etched.