Magnetoresistive magnetostriction monitoring

Claim 1

IN A METHOD OF CONTINUOUSLY MONITORING THE MAGNETOSTRICTION OF A MAGNETIC FILM DURING DEPOSITION WHEREIN A ZERO MAGNETOSTRICTION FILM MAY BE DEPOSITED AT A FIRST TEMPERATURE, SAID METHOD INCLUDING THE STEPS OF: DEPOSITING A MAGNETIC FILM ON A SUBSTRATE, SAID FILM HAVING TWO MAGNETIC STATES AND A MAGENTIC VECTOR ALONG AN EASY AXIS OF MAGNETIZATION; CYCLICALLY APPLYING VARYING STRESSES TO SAID ELEMENT TO CAUSE SAID MAGNETIC VECTOR TO ROTATE AWAY FROM SAID EASY AXIS WHEN SAID FILM DOES NOT HAVE ZERO MAGNETOSTRICTION; AND APPLYING AN A.C. DRIVE FIELD TO SAID FILM PARALLEL TO SAID EASY AXIS TO SWITCH THE MAGNETIZATION OF SAID FILM, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (A) PROVIDING FIRST AND SECOND ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS TO FORM A COMPLETED ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT WITH SAID FILM ON SAID SUBSTRATE; (B) COUPLING SAID FIRST AND SECOND CONDUCTORS IN SERIES WITH A CIRCUIT FOR PASSING A CURRENT THROUGH SAID FILM, SAID SERIES CIRCUIT INCLUDING A SOURCE OF POWER AND A SIGNAL DETECTING DEVICE; (C) DETECTING A CHANGE IN AN ELECTRICAL VARIABLE OF THE COMPLETED CIRCUIT CAUSED BY THE CYCLICAL STRESSING AND THE APPLIED A.C. FIELD WHEN A NON-ZERO MAGNETOSTRICTION CONDITION EXISTS; AND (D) CONTROLLING THE DEPOSITION PROCESS WITH THE CHANGE IN SAID VARIABLE WHEREBY A ZERO MAGNETOSTRICTION FILM IS DEPOSITED AT SAID FIRST TEMPERATURE.