This magnetic conductor uses a mixture of nanoscopic ferromagnetic and non-ferromagnetic materials to provide more tunable, wireless control and greater electrical conductivity for increased current flow. Ferromagnetic materials, when used as conductors, have dynamic frequency-dependent properties that can deliver a great degree of tunability to better control the conductors. However, they have much lower electrical conductivity than most commonly used conductor materials, limiting their utility as conductors. Researchers at the University of Florida have designed a ferromagnetic conductor that uses a combination of ferromagnetic and non-ferromagnetic conductive metals in a lattice structure to provide a high degree of non-contact magnetic control. Furthermore, since it uses metals instead of semiconductors in the current flow layer, it can facilitate applications requiring a higher current.
Transconductor with magnetic field control for high-current applications
By combining ferromagnetic and non-ferromagnetic materials in a nano-superlattice structure, the magnetic field effect transconductor (M-FET) uses the properties of ferromagnetic metals without sacrificing conductivity. The non-contact magnetic field control of M-FET is more efficient than the traditional physical and electrical field control. Furthermore, M-FET's current flow layer uses a metal conductor rather than a semiconductor as in other conductors. Hence it is able to handle levels of current that are too high for a semiconductor. This higher level of current in turn, reduces relative noise.