Arrangements for Hall effect elements and vertical epi resistors upon a substrate
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An electronic circuit, comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate having a surface, the surface of the semiconductor substrate having a width dimension;
an epitaxial layer disposed over the surface of the semiconductor substrate, the epitaxial layer having a first surface distal from the semiconductor substrate and a second surface proximate to the semiconductor substrate;
a first Hall effect element disposed in the epitaxial layer, wherein the first Hall effect element has a geometric center in a plane of the surface of the substrate;
a second Hall effect element disposed in the epitaxial layer, wherein the second Hall effect element has a geometric center in the plane of the surface of the substrate, wherein a line between the geometric centers of the first and second Hall effect element is parallel to the width dimension of the substrate, wherein the geometric center of the first Hall effect element has a first Hall effect element distance proximate to a first end of the width dimension and the geometric center of the second Hall effect element has a second Hall effect element distance proximate to a second end of the width dimension;
a first current generator configured to generate a first drive current that passes through the first Hall effect element, wherein the first current generator comprises;
a first vertical epi resistor disposed in the epitaxial layer and proximate to the first Hall effect element, wherein the first vertical epi resistor has a geometric center, and wherein the geometric center of the first vertical epi resistor has a first vertical epi resistor distance to a first end of the width dimension greater than or equal to the first Hall effect element distance, the electronic circuit further comprising;
a second current generator configured to generate a second drive current that passes through the second Hall effect element, wherein the second current generator comprises;
a second vertical epi resistor disposed in the epitaxial layer and proximate to the second Hall effect element, wherein the second vertical epi resistor has a geometric center, and wherein the geometric center of the second vertical epi resistor has a second vertical epi resistor distance to a second end of the width dimension greater than or equal to the second Hall effect element distance.
7 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Hall effect elements are driven by current generators that use vertical epi resistors disposed away from an edge of a substrate upon which, within which, or over which, the Hall effect elements, the current generators, and the vertical epi resistors are disposed.
-
Citations
21 Claims
-
1. An electronic circuit, comprising:
-
a semiconductor substrate having a surface, the surface of the semiconductor substrate having a width dimension; an epitaxial layer disposed over the surface of the semiconductor substrate, the epitaxial layer having a first surface distal from the semiconductor substrate and a second surface proximate to the semiconductor substrate; a first Hall effect element disposed in the epitaxial layer, wherein the first Hall effect element has a geometric center in a plane of the surface of the substrate; a second Hall effect element disposed in the epitaxial layer, wherein the second Hall effect element has a geometric center in the plane of the surface of the substrate, wherein a line between the geometric centers of the first and second Hall effect element is parallel to the width dimension of the substrate, wherein the geometric center of the first Hall effect element has a first Hall effect element distance proximate to a first end of the width dimension and the geometric center of the second Hall effect element has a second Hall effect element distance proximate to a second end of the width dimension; a first current generator configured to generate a first drive current that passes through the first Hall effect element, wherein the first current generator comprises; a first vertical epi resistor disposed in the epitaxial layer and proximate to the first Hall effect element, wherein the first vertical epi resistor has a geometric center, and wherein the geometric center of the first vertical epi resistor has a first vertical epi resistor distance to a first end of the width dimension greater than or equal to the first Hall effect element distance, the electronic circuit further comprising; a second current generator configured to generate a second drive current that passes through the second Hall effect element, wherein the second current generator comprises; a second vertical epi resistor disposed in the epitaxial layer and proximate to the second Hall effect element, wherein the second vertical epi resistor has a geometric center, and wherein the geometric center of the second vertical epi resistor has a second vertical epi resistor distance to a second end of the width dimension greater than or equal to the second Hall effect element distance. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. A method of biasing a plurality of Hall effect elements, comprising:
-
generating a first reference current by generating a first voltage reference across a first vertical epi resistor disposed in an epitaxial layer over a semiconductor substrate, the epitaxial layer having a first surface distal from the semiconductor substrate and a second surface proximate to the semiconductor substrate; injecting a first drive current into a first Hall effect element, wherein the first Hall effect element is disposed over the semiconductor substrate, wherein the first drive current is related to the first reference current, wherein a resistance of the first vertical epi resistor, the first reference current, and the first drive current change in accordance with changes of a stress in the semiconductor substrate; generating a second reference current by generating a second voltage reference across a second vertical epi resistor disposed in an epitaxial layer over a semiconductor substrate, the epitaxial layer having a second surface distal from the semiconductor substrate and a second surface proximate to the semiconductor substrate; injecting a second drive current into a second Hall effect element, wherein the second Hall effect element is disposed over the semiconductor substrate, wherein the second drive current is related to the second reference current, wherein a resistance of the second vertical epi resistor, the second reference current, and the second drive current change in accordance with changes of a stress in the semiconductor substrate, wherein the first Hall effect element has a geometric center in a plane of the surface of the substrate, wherein the second Hall effect element has a geometric center in the plane of the surface of the substrate, wherein a line between the geometric centers of the first and second Hall effect element is parallel to the width dimension of the substrate, wherein the geometric center of the first Hall effect element has a first Hall effect element distance proximate to a first end of the width dimension and the geometric center of the second Hall effect element has a second Hall effect element distance proximate to a second end of the width dimension, wherein the first vertical epi resistor has a geometric center, wherein the geometric center of the first vertical epi resistor has a first vertical epi resistor distance to a first end of the width dimension greater than or equal to the first Hall effect element distance, wherein the second vertical epi resistor has a geometric center, wherein the geometric center of the second vertical epi resistor has a second vertical epi resistor distance to a second end of the width dimension greater than or equal to the second Hall effect element distance.
-
-
21. An electronic circuit, comprising:
-
means for generating a first reference current by generating a first voltage reference across a first vertical epi resistor disposed in an epitaxial layer over a semiconductor substrate, the epitaxial layer having a first surface distal from the semiconductor substrate and a second surface proximate to the semiconductor substrate; means for injecting a first drive current into a first Hall effect element, wherein the first Hall effect element is disposed over the semiconductor substrate, wherein the first drive current is related to the first reference current, wherein a resistance of the first vertical epi resistor, the first reference current, and the first drive current change in accordance with changes of a stress in the semiconductor substrate; means for generating a second reference current by generating a second voltage reference across a second vertical epi resistor disposed in an epitaxial layer over a semiconductor substrate, the epitaxial layer having a second surface distal from the semiconductor substrate and a second surface proximate to the semiconductor substrate; means for injecting a second drive current into a second Hall effect element, wherein the second Hall effect element is disposed over the semiconductor substrate, wherein the second drive current is related to the second reference current, wherein a resistance of the second vertical epi resistor, the second reference current, and the second drive current change in accordance with changes of a stress in the semiconductor substrate, wherein the first Hall effect element has a geometric center in a plane of the surface of the substrate, wherein the second Hall effect element has a geometric center in the plane of the surface of the substrate, wherein a line between the geometric centers of the first and second Hall effect element is parallel to the width dimension of the substrate, wherein the geometric center of the first Hall effect element has a first Hall effect element distance proximate to a first end of the width dimension and the geometric center of the second Hall effect element has a second Hall effect element distance proximate to a second end of the width dimension, wherein the first vertical epi resistor has a geometric center, wherein the geometric center of the first vertical epi resistor has a first vertical epi resistor distance to a first end of the width dimension greater than or equal to the first Hall effect element distance, wherein the second vertical epi resistor has a geometric center, wherein the geometric center of the second vertical epi resistor has a second vertical epi resistor distance to a second end of the width dimension greater than or equal to the second Hall effect element distance.
-
Specification