Multisegment Hall element for offset voltage compensation
First Claim
1. A Hall device with substantially suppressed offset voltage comprising a layer-shaped semiconductor body having a central portion and a peripheral portion surrounding said central portion, an even number of at least four current contact members forming a plurality of pairs of anode and cathode contact members distributed in said peripheral portion in alternate spaced arrangement, each cathode contact member being situated between two anode contact members a plurality of pairs of Hall contact members of opposite polarities forming the same even number of Hall contact members distributed in said peripheral portion in alternate spaced arrangement, each Hall contact of one polarity being situated between two Hall contacts of the opposite polarity, only one single Hall contact being present between each pair of successive anode and cathode current contact members and equidistant therefrom thus forming a plurality of adjacent arranged Hall sub-elements, the main current direction between each pair of successive anode and cathode contacts being substantially parallel to the main current direction between an associated pair of anode and cathode contacts situated diametrically opposite on the body, all anode contact members being connected to one single anode input terminal, all cathode contact members being connected to one single cathode input terminal, all Hall contact members of one polarity being connected to one single first Hall output terminal and all Hall contact members of the opposite polarity being connected to one single second Hall output terminal.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A semiconductor device having a Hall element in which, in order to reduce the offset, the Hall element consists of an even number of sub-Hall elements provided in one semiconductor body and the anode and cathode contacts of which are connected together, which sub-Hall elements each have a Hall contact, and in which one half of the Hall contacts is of one polarity and the other half is of the opposite polarity. The sub-Hall elements are divided into groups of each two sub-Hall elements with mutually parallel main current directions, and Hall contacts of the same polarity are connected together. The sub-Hall elements advantageously have a common Hall body in the form of a square of another regular polygon, in which the contacts are placed along the edge of the Hall body.
-
Citations
12 Claims
- 1. A Hall device with substantially suppressed offset voltage comprising a layer-shaped semiconductor body having a central portion and a peripheral portion surrounding said central portion, an even number of at least four current contact members forming a plurality of pairs of anode and cathode contact members distributed in said peripheral portion in alternate spaced arrangement, each cathode contact member being situated between two anode contact members a plurality of pairs of Hall contact members of opposite polarities forming the same even number of Hall contact members distributed in said peripheral portion in alternate spaced arrangement, each Hall contact of one polarity being situated between two Hall contacts of the opposite polarity, only one single Hall contact being present between each pair of successive anode and cathode current contact members and equidistant therefrom thus forming a plurality of adjacent arranged Hall sub-elements, the main current direction between each pair of successive anode and cathode contacts being substantially parallel to the main current direction between an associated pair of anode and cathode contacts situated diametrically opposite on the body, all anode contact members being connected to one single anode input terminal, all cathode contact members being connected to one single cathode input terminal, all Hall contact members of one polarity being connected to one single first Hall output terminal and all Hall contact members of the opposite polarity being connected to one single second Hall output terminal.
Specification