Understanding tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) technology

As system requirements shift toward higher power density and reduced footprints, developers require components that offer uncompromised precision. TMR is a complementary technology within our established portfolio of Hall, AMR, and GMR sensor technologies, unlocking new capabilities in magnetic sensing.

Due to their parallel structure, TMR-based sensors allow electrons to tunnel freely between layers, generating a significantly higher voltage output than AMR or GMR technologies. Infineon enhances this fundamental advantage with a proprietary Vortex TMR structure that forms a stable closed-flux magnetization.

This approach yields a wider usable magnetic range, improved linearity, significantly reduced cross-field sensitivity, and stable output behavior, minimizing hysteresis and discontinuities.

Key advantages of the Vortex TMR structure

Infineon's proprietary Vortex TMR structure is a key innovation in linear sensing, providing a stable, closed-flux magnetization state that minimizes disruptions from external magnetic fields. This design ensures reliable operation even in dynamic or noisy environments.

Main benefits of this structure include:

  • Exceptional linearity: The Vortex design delivers a predictable and proportional sensor output in response to varying magnetic field strengths. This simplifies system calibration and reduces overall design complexity.
  • Low noise profile: By significantly reducing signal distortion, the structure enables high-resolution measurements with greater sensitivity and accuracy
  • Significantly reduced cross-field sensitivity, with up to 100× improvement

These characteristics are critical in compact sensing environments, where mechanical variation and external interference can affect measurement accuracy.

At the same time, they enable reliable linear-mode operation for current-sensing applications, where accurate field-proportional measurement is essentia

For a detailed exploration, read our technical article, XENSIV™ TMR-based magnetic sensors: Unlocking new possibilities in magnetic sensing.

Key advantages of the Vortex TMR structure
Key advantages of the Vortex TMR structure
Key advantages of the Vortex TMR structure

Customer benefits & product recommendations

Select the optimal component for your architecture, backed by comprehensive parameter-rich datasheets and modifiable design files.

For applications requiring high accuracy and low noise in compact designs, TMR technology offers significant advantages:

  • Applications: Ideal for human-machine interfaces (HMI) like joysticks and triggers, as well as space-constrained wearables.
  • TMR benefits: Enables high sensitivity and low jitter, facilitating precise measurement with small magnets and minimal power consumption.
  • Product recommendations: TLI55910, TLI55950, and TLV552D linear sensors.

TMR sensors provide galvanically isolated, high-dynamic-range current measurement, essential for modern power systems:

  • Applications: Crucial for motor drives, robotics, drones, and high-frequency power conversion systems such as PV inverters and energy storage systems.
  • TMR benefits: Coreless sensing architecture supports MHz-class bandwidth for rapid control loops in fast-switching SiC and GaN systems.
  • Product recommendations: TLI5572 and TLI5570 coreless current sensors.

Integrated overcurrent detection is critical for safeguarding power electronics from fault conditions:

  • Applications: Enables ultra-fast solid-state circuit breaking and protection loops in power conversion systems.
  • TMR benefits: Differential coreless sensing allows for sub-100 ns overcurrent detection, protecting sensitive SiC and GaN components.
  • Product recommendations: TLE5571 differential current sensor.

For systems requiring the highest levels of functional safety, TMR sensors offer robust and reliable performance.

  • Applications: Automotive systems such as steering angle sensors, pedal position, and motor resolvers; industrial automation.
  • TMR benefits: A dual-die safety architecture provides inherent redundancy, enabling fail-operational performance.
  • Product recommendations: TLE5502D, an automotive-qualified angle sensor compliant with ISO 26262 ASIL D.

For applications requiring high accuracy and low noise in compact designs, TMR technology offers significant advantages:

  • Applications: Ideal for human-machine interfaces (HMI) like joysticks and triggers, as well as space-constrained wearables.
  • TMR benefits: Enables high sensitivity and low jitter, facilitating precise measurement with small magnets and minimal power consumption.
  • Product recommendations: TLI55910, TLI55950, and TLV552D linear sensors.

TMR sensors provide galvanically isolated, high-dynamic-range current measurement, essential for modern power systems:

  • Applications: Crucial for motor drives, robotics, drones, and high-frequency power conversion systems such as PV inverters and energy storage systems.
  • TMR benefits: Coreless sensing architecture supports MHz-class bandwidth for rapid control loops in fast-switching SiC and GaN systems.
  • Product recommendations: TLI5572 and TLI5570 coreless current sensors.

Integrated overcurrent detection is critical for safeguarding power electronics from fault conditions:

  • Applications: Enables ultra-fast solid-state circuit breaking and protection loops in power conversion systems.
  • TMR benefits: Differential coreless sensing allows for sub-100 ns overcurrent detection, protecting sensitive SiC and GaN components.
  • Product recommendations: TLE5571 differential current sensor.

For systems requiring the highest levels of functional safety, TMR sensors offer robust and reliable performance.

  • Applications: Automotive systems such as steering angle sensors, pedal position, and motor resolvers; industrial automation.
  • TMR benefits: A dual-die safety architecture provides inherent redundancy, enabling fail-operational performance.
  • Product recommendations: TLE5502D, an automotive-qualified angle sensor compliant with ISO 26262 ASIL D.

Discover more XENSIV™ magnetic sensing solutions

Expand your design possibilities with our broader magnetic sensing portfolio of Hall-, AMR-, GMR-, and TMR-based sensors and switches. Whether you require robust or highly accurate sensing solutions, our complete offering is built to accelerate your development process.

Current sensors
Magnetic position sensors
Additional documents

Frequently asked questions about TMR-based magnetic sensors

No. Infineon is extending its proven Hall sensing portfolio with complementary TMR technology to cover the full spectrum of application requirements. Hall remains a highly robust, cost-effective choice for many automotive and industrial applications, while TMR brings unique value propositions where high SNR, high sensitivity, and low power are critical design constraints.

Monolithic integration places the CMOS readout on the same die as the TMR element. This provides superior signal quality and a simplified ecosystem fit by removing vulnerable analog interconnects, significantly reducing your system integration and troubleshooting effort.

The proprietary Vortex TMR structure delivers higher linearity and much stronger cross-field robustness than conventional TMR designs. This ensures consistent, accurate performance across temperature fluctuations and stray magnetic fields, providing predictable linear operation.

Yes. Infineon offers automotive-qualified TMR sensors designed in accordance with ISO 26262. Developers can achieve ASIL D (fail-safe) compliance with single-die configurations and up to 2× ASIL D (fail-operational) performance using dual-die configurations, ensuring maximum reliability for safety-critical motion control.