May 26, 2005 — mPhase Technologies Inc. and Bell Labs, the research and development arm of Lucent Technologies, announced they have produced the first core components of a magnetometer. The company predicts its device could be up to 1,000 times more sensitive than conventional sensors used in metal detectors.
The components were produced in the silicon fab line operated by the New Jersey Nanotechnology Consortium (NJNC), a subsidiary of Lucent based at and run by Bell Labs in Murray Hill, N.J.
The device has a MEMS sensor at its core that acts like a miniature tuning fork or oscillator. It is designed to detect changes in magnetic fields and can be used to determine the direction of movement of magnetic objects.