Semiconductor device and magneto-resistive sensor integration

• US 20040207035A1
• Filed: 01/08/2004
• Published: 10/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Amundson, Mark D., Witcraft, William F., Berg, Lonny L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,239,000 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/427
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/09 Magnetoresistive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/096 anisotropic magnetoresistance sensors

Abstract

A magnetic-sensing apparatus and method of making and using thereof is disclosed. The sensing apparatus may be fabricated from semiconductor circuitry and a magneto-resistive sensor. A dielectric may be disposed between the semiconductor circuitry and the magneto-resistive sensor.

In one embodiment, the semiconductor circuitry and magneto-resistive sensor are formed into a single package or, alternatively, monolithically formed into a single chip. In another embodiment, some of the semiconductor circuitry may be monolithically formed on a first chip with the magneto-resistive sensor, while other portions of the semiconductor circuitry may be formed on a second chip. As such, the first and second chips may be placed in close proximity and electrically connected together or alternatively have no intentional electrical interaction.

Exemplary semiconductor devices that might be implemented include, without limitation, capacitors, inductors, operational amplifiers, set/reset circuitry for the MR sensors, accelerometers, pressure sensors, position sensing circuitry, compassing circuitry, etc.

Claims

1. A single-package sensing apparatus comprising semiconductor circuitry and a magneto-resistive sensor.

2. The sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor circuitry and magneto-resistive sensor are monolithically formed on a single chip.

3. The sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the semiconductor circuitry is monolithically formed on a first chip with the magneto-resistive sensor.

4. The sensing apparatus of claim 3, wherein at least a portion of the semiconductor circuitry is formed on a second chip.

5. The sensing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first and second chips are electrically connected together.

6. The sensing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second chip is placed in close proximity to the first chip.

7. The sensing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first and second chips are electrically connected together.

8. The sensing apparatus of claim 2, further comprising at least one connection pathway for connecting the semiconductor circuitry with the magneto-resistive sensor.

9. The sensing apparatus of claim 8, further comprising conducting portions disposed in the at least one connection pathway.

10. The sensing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the conducting portion comprises thin-film interconnects.

11. The sensing apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a dielectric disposed between the semiconductor circuitry and the magneto-resistive sensor.

12. The sensing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the dielectric is disposed on contact glass.

13. The sensing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the contact glass comprises a material selected from the group consisting of silicon-nitride (Si3N4), borophosilicate glass (BPSG), silicon-oxide (SiO2), and any other etchable dielectric that can be a substantially planar surface.

14. The sensing apparatus of claim 11, further comprising at least one connection pathway in the contact glass for connecting the semiconductor circuitry with the magneto-resistive sensor.

15. The sensing apparatus of claim 14, further comprising conducting portions disposed in the at least one connection pathway.

16. The sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor circuitry comprises any electronic device formed from Complementary-Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor(CMOS), bipolar, Gallium-Arsenide, Germanium, bipolarCMOS (BiCMOS), Indium Phosphide (InP), and Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) technologies.

17. The sensing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the semiconductor circuitry comprises any of a resistor, capacitor, inductor, switch, pressure sensor, accelerometer, amplifier, diode, and any other functional component.

18. The sensing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the semiconductor circuitry comprises any of functional adjust, signal conditioning, and electro-static-discharge protection circuitry.

19. The sensing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the magneto-resistive sensor comprises a sensor selected from the group consisting of a anisotropic-magneto sensor, a giant-magneto sensor, and a colossal-magneto sensor.

20. The sensing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a metal-insulator-metal capacitor formed adjacent to the magneto-resistive sensor on the same chip.

21. The sensing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the semiconductor circuitry is physically separate from the magneto-resistive sensor to prevent undesired interaction between the semiconductor circuitry and magneto-resistive sensor.

22. The sensing apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a shield disposed between the semiconductor circuitry and the magneto-resistive sensor.

23. The sensing apparatus of claim 22, wherein the shield comprises a material selected from the group consisting of metal, metallic, magnetic, and other isolating material.

24. The sensing apparatus of claim 22, wherein the shield allows for tighter integration of the semiconductor circuitry and magneto-resistive sensor.

25. The sensing apparatus of claim 22, wherein the shield prevents the semiconductor circuitry from undesirably affecting an operation of the magneto-resistive sensor.

26. The sensing apparatus of claim 22, wherein the shield prevents the magneto-resistive sensor from undesirably affecting an operation of the semiconductor circuitry.

27. The sensing apparatus of claim 22, wherein the shield is disposed in close proximity to semiconductor circuitry.

28. The sensing apparatus of claim 22, wherein the shield is disposed in close proximity to magneto-resistive sensor.

29. The sensing apparatus of claim 22, wherein the semiconductor circuitry is formed in a first part and the magneto-resistive sensor is formed in a second part, and wherein the shield is disposed in the first part.

30. The sensing apparatus of claim 22, wherein the semiconductor circuitry is formed in a first part and the magneto-resistive sensor is formed in a second part, and wherein the shield is disposed in the second part.

31. The sensing apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a shield disposed in the dielectric.

32. The sensing apparatus of claim 31, wherein the shield prevents the semiconductor circuitry from undesirably affecting an operation of the magneto-resistive sensor.

33. The sensing apparatus of claim 31, wherein the shield prevents the magneto-resistive sensor from undesirably affecting an operation of the semiconductor circuitry.

34. The sensing apparatus of claim 31, wherein the shield is disposed closer to the semiconductor circuitry than the magneto-resistive sensor.

35. The sensing apparatus of claim 31, wherein the shield is disposed closer to the magneto-resistive sensor than the semiconductor circuitry.

44. The sensing apparatus of claim 2, wherein in the magneto-resistive sensor provides an output signal proportional to a sensed magnetic field, and wherein the position-sensing circuitry comprises at least one amplifier coupled the output signal.

45. The sensing apparatus of claim 44, wherein the at least one amplifier has an adjustable offset.

46. The sensing apparatus of claim 45, wherein the adjustable offset is controlled by external circuitry.

47. The sensing apparatus of claim 44, wherein the at least one amplifier has an adjustable gain.

48. The sensing apparatus of claim 47, wherein the adjustable gain is controlled by external circuitry.

49. The sensing apparatus of claim 44, wherein the semiconductor circuitry further comprises temperature-compensation circuitry.

50. The sensing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first and second magneto-resistive sensors detect magnetic fields in orthogonal planes and provide respective first and second output signals proportional to the detected magnetic field, and wherein the semiconductor circuitry comprises compassing circuitry coupled to the first and second output signals to provide a compassing output responsive to the first and second output signals.

51. The sensing element of claim 50, wherein the compassing circuitry comprises at least two amplifiers, wherein a one of the at least two amplifiers is coupled the first output signal and another of the least two amplifiers is coupled to the second output signal.

52. The sensing apparatus of claim 51, wherein each of the at least two amplifiers has an adjustable voltage offset.

53. The sensing apparatus of claim 50, wherein the compassing circuitry further comprises first and second offset-driver circuitry for adjusting respective offsets of the first and second magneto-resistive sensors.

54. The sensing apparatus of claim 50, further comprising a third magneto-resistive sensor, wherein the third magneto-resistive sensor and the third reorientation element are formed on a second chip.

55. The sensing apparatus of claim 54, wherein the first, second and third magneto-resistive sensors detect magnetic fields in an orthogonal planes to each other and provide respective first, second and third output signals proportional to the detected magnetic fields, and wherein the semiconductor circuitry comprises compassing circuitry coupled to the first, second and third output signals to provide a compassing output responsive to the first, second and third output signals.

56. The sensing apparatus of claim 55, wherein the semiconductor circuitry further comprises temperature-compensation circuitry.

57. The sensing element of claim 55, wherein the compassing circuitry comprises at least three amplifiers, wherein a one of the at least three amplifiers is coupled the first output signal, a second of the least three amplifiers is coupled to the second output signal, and a third of the least three amplifiers is coupled to the third output signal.

58. The sensing apparatus of claim 57, wherein each of the at least three amplifiers has an adjustable offset and gain.

36. A monolithically formed sensing apparatus comprising:

a first part having semiconductor circuitry disposed thereon;

a second part having a magneto-resistive sensor disposed thereon;

a dielectric layer disposed between said first and second parts;

wherein the first part is fabricated before the second part.

37. The sensing apparatus of claim 36, wherein the dielectric layer is formed over the first part before the second part is formed.

38. The sensing apparatus of claim 36, wherein the first part is formed using standard fabricating processes for forming any of Complementary-Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor(CMOS), bipolar, Gallium-Arsenide, Germanium, bipolarCMOS (BiCMOS), and Indium Phosphide (InP), and Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) semiconductor circuitry.

39. The sensing apparatus of claim 36, wherein the second part is formed using standard fabricating processes for forming magneto-resistive sensors.

40. The sensing apparatus of claim 36, wherein the second part comprises:

magneto-resistive structures;

at least one first metallization;

at least one first contact coupled to the at least one first metallization;

a second dielectric layer disposed over at least the dielectric layer;

at least one second metallization coupled to the at least one first contact;

at least one second contact coupled to the at least one second metallization;

a third dielectric layer disposed over at least the second dielectric layer;

at least one third metallization coupled to the at least one second contact;

at least one third contact coupled to the at least one third metallization; and

a fourth dielectric layer disposed over at least the third dielectric layer.

41. The sensing apparatus of claim 40, wherein the second part further comprises a metal-insulator-metal capacitor disposed between the at least one first metallization and the at least one first contact.

42. The sensing apparatus of claim 36, wherein the contact glass comprises a material selected from the group consisting of silicon-nitride (Si3N4), borophosilicate glass (BPSG), and silicon-oxide (SiO2).

43. The sensing apparatus of claim 36, wherein the first part having semiconductor circuitry disposed thereon comprises operational amplifiers, electrostatic-discharge elements, test sites and trim sites, and wherein the second part having a magneto-resistive sensor disposed thereon comprises a magneto-resistive bridge, calibration electronics, test sites and trim sites.

59. A method of making a sensing apparatus, the method comprising:

forming semiconductor circuitry; and

forming a magneto-resistive sensor adjacent to the semiconductor circuitry, wherein the semiconductor circuitry and magneto-resistive sensor are formed into a single package.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein the steps of forming semiconductor circuitry and forming a magneto-resistive sensor adjacent to the semiconductor circuitry comprise monolithically forming the semiconductor circuitry and magneto-resistive sensor on a single chip.

61. The method of claim 59, wherein the steps of forming semiconductor circuitry and forming a magneto-resistive sensor adjacent to the semiconductor circuitry comprise monolithically forming on a first chip at least a portion of the semiconductor circuitry and the magneto-resistive sensor.

62. The method of claim 61, wherein the steps of forming semiconductor circuitry and forming a magneto-resistive sensor adjacent to the semiconductor circuitry comprise forming on a second chip at least a portion of the semiconductor circuitry.

63. The method of claim 62, further comprising electrically connecting the first and second chips together.

64. The method of claim 62, wherein the steps of forming semiconductor circuitry and forming a magneto-resistive sensor adjacent to the semiconductor circuitry comprise placing the second chip in close proximity to the first chip.

65. The method of claim 59, further comprising forming at least one connection pathway for connecting the semiconductor circuitry with the magneto-resistive sensor.

66. The method of claim 65, further comprising forming conducting portions in the at least one connection pathway.

67. The method of claim 60, further comprising forming a dielectric between the semiconductor circuitry and the magneto-resistive sensor.

68. The method of claim 67, further comprising forming in the dielectric at least one connection pathway for connecting the semiconductor circuitry with the magneto-resistive sensor.

69. The method of claim 68, further comprising forming conducting portions in the at least one connection pathway.

70. The method of claim 60, wherein the step of forming the semiconductor circuitry comprises forming any electronic device using standard processes for Complementary-Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor(CMOS), bipolar, Gallium-Arsenide, Germanium, bipolarCMOS (BiCMOS), Indium Phosphide (InP), and Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI), technologies.

71. The method of claim 60, wherein the step of forming a magneto-resistive sensor comprises using standard magneto-resistive processes to form a sensor selected from the group consisting of an anisotropic-magneto sensor, a giant-magneto sensor, and a colossal-magneto sensor.

72. The method of claim 60, further comprising forming a metal-insulator-metal capacitor within the magneto-resistive sensor.

73. The method of claim 60, wherein the steps of forming semiconductor circuitry and forming a magneto-resistive sensor adjacent to the semiconductor circuitry comprises forming the semiconductor circuitry physically separate from the magneto-resistive sensor to prevent undesired interaction between the semiconductor circuitry and magneto-resistive sensor.

74. The method of claim 60, further comprising forming a shield between the semiconductor circuitry and the magneto-resistive sensor.

75. The method of claim 67, further comprising forming a shield in the dielectric.

76. The method of claim 60, wherein the first part is fabricated before the second part.

77. The method of claim 67, wherein the first part is fabricated before the second part.

78. The method of claim 67, wherein the dielectric layer is formed over the first part before the second part is formed.

79. The method of claim 67, wherein forming the second part comprises:

forming magnetoresistive structures over the dielectric layer;

forming at least one first metallization over the dielectric layer;

forming at least one first contact onto the at least one first metallization;

forming a second dielectric layer over the dielectric layer and the at least one first metallization;

forming at least one second metallization over the at least one first contact and the second dielectric layer;

forming at least one second contact over the at least one second metallization;

forming a third dielectric layer over the second dielectric layer and the at least one second metallization;

forming at least one third metallization over to the at least one second contact;

forming at least one third contact over to the at least one third metallization; and

forming a fourth dielectric layer over the third dielectric layer and the third metallization.

80. The method of claim 79, further comprising forming a metal-insulator-metal capacitor between the at least one first metallization and the at least one first contact.