[Industry-Academia Collaboration] Industry-Academia Collaboration to Target the Global Market with Domestic Micro Magnetic Sensors|KWANGWOO

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[Industry-Academia Collaboration] Industry-Academia Collaboration to Target the Global Market with Domestic Micro Magnetic Sensors

2023. 03. 22

Industry and academia are joining forces to target the global market with domestically produced micro magnetic sensors, which are expected to contribute to strengthening national competitiveness in the sensor field. On the 21st, the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) announced that it had recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with EV Advanced Materials and Kwangwoo for the mass production and commercialization of micro magnetic sensors. The goal is to combine DGIST’s foundational technology with commercialization efforts to enter overseas markets.

Micro magnetoresistive sensors are essential components in electric vehicles, current control, navigation, encoders, and bio-diagnostics. Since the 1990s, the development of “spintronics high-sensitivity magnetoresistive sensors” has been highly competitive worldwide, with German, Japanese, and American companies currently monopolizing production.

This agreement signifies the intent to develop and produce micro magnetoresistive sensors using domestic technology to establish competitiveness in the global market, which has been monopolized by overseas companies. The technology behind this effort was developed by the Magnetic-Based Life Care Research Center at DGIST, led by Professor Kim Chul-ki. The center developed “planar Hall magnetoresistive technology with magnetic multilayer thin films,” utilizing a method of controlling interlayer exchange coupling to improve sensitivity in measuring micro magnetic fields.

In 2020, EV Advanced Materials received this technology and, with support from the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (96 billion KRW over four years) and consultation from Professor Kim Chul-ki, established production facilities for “magnetic multilayer thin film deposition equipment and micro device manufacturing processes.” Using this infrastructure, they successfully developed a micro magnetic sensor model product.
Kwangwoo produced an encoder module equipped with this sensor and successfully passed performance evaluations in the second half of last year, achieving localization of micro magnetoresistive sensors and application products. As a result, the production of encoder modules, which previously relied on imports, can now be done using domestic technology. This has paved the way for entering overseas markets with products that offer both performance and price competitiveness.

Professor Kim Chul-ki remarked, “The localization of magnetic sensors is the first achievement of spintronics research in Korea, which has seen an investment of over 100 billion KRW since the late 1990s. Now, we can utilize domestically produced modules for high-sensitivity magnetic sensor modules, which were previously entirely dependent on imports. This will lay the foundation for entering the overseas sensor market with performance and price competitiveness.”

Kim Tae-wan, Head of Development at EV Advanced Materials, stated, “We initially began developing high-sensitivity magnetic sensors for vehicle applications. With the success of localization, we plan to expand the application range in the global market to fields with an annual demand of over 30 billion units, including electric vehicles, robots, and aerospace.”
Eo Woong-sun, CEO of Kwangwoo, commented, “The encoder developed through this project can be applied to precision-demanding fields such as robotics, defense, and medical industries. It will grow as a key component in the electronics sector, contributing to securing national competitiveness in high-value-added industries.”

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