Hall sensor with high spatial resolution in two directions concurrently

• US 5,543,988 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 08/06/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Santhanam, Padmanabhan, Tamegai, Tsuyoshi, Masselink, William T., Krusin-Elbaum, Lia, Brady, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): EVANS, JEFFERSON A
• Application Number:
  US08/479,252
• Time in Patent Office: 426 Days
• Field of Search: 360/112, 360/125, 360/126, 257/421-427, 324/251, 307/309, 307/311, 73/DIG. 3, 338/32 H, 338/32 R
• US Class Current: 360/112
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/06 using galvano-magnetic devices
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/012 Recording on, or reproducing or erasing from, magnetic disks G11B17/00, G11B19/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/376 in semi-conductors G11B5/372 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 52/101 Semiconductor Hall-effect devices

Abstract

A magnetic sensor, memory, and magnetic imager has been described for sensing a magnetic field in two directions concurrently incorporating a bar of semiconductor material having a rectangular cross-section, electrodes for introducing current along the length of the semiconductor material, and electrodes positioned on respective corners of the rectangular cross-section at a common distance along the current path whereby the Hall voltage may be detected concurrently in two directions. The memory includes the above magnetic sensor plus a disk having a magnetic layer thereon for storing information, a positioner for moving the disk, a memory control circuit and a signal processor circuit. The magnetic imager includes a plurality of magnetic field sensors positioned in a one or two-dimensional array. The invention overcomes the problem of mapping magnetic fields with high spatial resolution with high magnetic sensitivity in two directions concurrently.

Claims

1. An apparatus for sensing a magnetic field in two directions concurrently comprising:

a semi-insulating substrate of a first semiconductor material having an upper surface,

first and second spaced apart conductive regions formed in said upper surface of said semi-insulating substrate,

a layer of insulation formed on said upper surface of said semi-insulating substrate,

said layer of insulation having a first opening therein between and above a portion of said first and second spaced apart conductive regions and exposing said upper surface of said semi-insulating substrate between said first and second conductive regions,

a layer of material having an upper and lower surface having a semiconductor region and a semi-insulating region, said lower surface formed on said layer of insulation and in said first opening wherein said layer of material is said semi-insulating region on said layer of insulation and wherein said layer of material is said semiconductor region in and over said first opening,

means for passing an electrical current through said semiconductor region of said layer of material in a direction transverse to an axis extending between said first and second conductive regions,

a first electrode formed on said upper surface of said semiconductor region of said layer of material whereby at times said electrical current passes in said semiconductor region of said layer of material,

the voltage between said first and second conductive regions is proportional to the magnitude of the magnetic field B passing orthogonal to said electrical current and to said axis extending between said first and second conductive regions and the voltage between one of said first and second conductive regions and said first electrode is proportional to the magnitude of the magnetic field B passing orthogonal to said electrical current and to the axis extending between said one of said first and second conductive regions and said first electrode.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said semi insulating substrate is an alloy of elements selected from Groups III and V of the Periodic Table.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and second spaced apart conductive regions are formed by ion implantation through said upper surface.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said first and second spaced apart conductive regions include silicon having a concentration in the range from 1×

10¹⁸ atoms/cc or greater.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said layer of material is epitaxial above said portion of said first and second conductive regions and above said exposed semi-insulating substrate.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said layer of material is an element selected from Group IV of the periodic table or a compound selected from the elements in Groups III and V of the Periodic Table.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said layer of material is doped with silicon in the range from 1 to 10×

10¹⁷ atoms/cc.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and second conductive regions are spaced apart in the range from 5 to 15 microns.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said layer of insulation includes SiO₂.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said SiO₂ is formed by plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition (PACVD).

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first electrode is formed above one of said first and second conductive regions.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 further including a plurality of first conductive regions, a plurality of second conductive regions and a plurality of respective first electrodes thereover to provide a plurality of two directional sensors of magnetic flux density B.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said plurality of first conductive regions are spaced apart along a first path.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said plurality of second conductive regions are spaced apart along a second path.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said first path forms a straight line.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a second electrode formed on said upper surface of said semiconductor region of said layer of material.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said upper surface of said layer of material has a layer of insulation thereon for positioning said upper surface in close proximity to a sample to be sensed.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a coating over said layer of material for positioning said surface in close proximity to a moving media of magnetic material.

19. A memory for retrieving data stored in a magnetic layer comprising:

a disk including said magnetic layer thereon,

a positioner for moving said disk,

a head positioned to intercept magnetic flux emerging or returning to said magnetic layer for generating signals indicative of magnetic fields, said head including a detector for sensing a magnetic field in two directions concurrently comprising;

a semi-insulating substrate of a first semiconductor material having an upper surface,

first and second spaced apart conductive regions formed in said upper surface of said semi-insulating substrate,

a layer of insulation formed on said upper surface of said semi-insulating substrate,

said layer of insulation having a first opening therein between and above a portion of said first and second spaced apart conductive regions and exposing said upper surface of said semi-insulating substrate between said first and second conductive regions,

a layer of material having an upper and lower surface having a semiconductor region and a semi-insulating region, said lower surface formed on said layer of insulation and in said first opening wherein said layer of material is said semi-insulating region on said layer of insulation and wherein said layer of material is said semiconductor region in and over said first opening,

means for passing an electrical current through said semiconductor region of said layer of material in a direction transverse to an axis extending between said first and second conductive regions,

a first electrode formed on said upper surface of said semiconductor region of said layer of material whereby at times said electrical current passes in said semiconductor region of said layer of material,

the voltage between said first and second conductive regions is proportional to the magnitude of the magnetic field B passing orthogonal to said electrical current and to said axis extending between said first and second conductive regions and the voltage between one of said first and second conductive regions and said first electrode is proportional to the magnitude of the magnetic field B passing orthogonal to said electrical current and to the axis extending between said one of said first and second conductive regions and said first electrode;

and a signal processor circuit electrically coupled to said head for arithmetically processing said signals and for generating output signals indicative of said stored data.

20. An apparatus for forming magnetic images from a specimen comprising:

a plurality of magnetic field sensors positioned on a substrate for generating signals indicative of magnetic fields and a signal processor circuit electrically coupled to each of said plurality of magnetic field sensors for arithmetically processing said signals and for generating output signals indicative of an image, each said magnetic field sensor including a detector for sensing a magnetic field in two directions concurrently comprising;

a semi-insulating substrate of a first semiconductor material having an upper surface,

first and second spaced apart conductive regions formed in said upper surface of said semi-insulating substrate,

a layer of insulation formed on said upper surface of said semi-insulating substrate,

said layer of insulation having a first opening therein between and above a portion of said first and second spaced apart conductive regions and exposing said upper surface of said semi-insulating substrate between said first and second conductive regions,

a layer of material having an upper and lower surface having a semiconductor region and a semi-insulating region, said lower surface formed on said layer of insulation and in said first opening wherein said layer of material is said semi-insulating region on said layer of insulation and wherein said layer of material is said semiconductor region in and over said first opening,

means for passing an electrical current through said semiconductor region of said layer of material in a direction transverse to an axis extending between said first and second conductive regions,

a first electrode formed on said upper surface of said semiconductor region of said layer of material whereby at times said electrical current passes in said semiconductor region of said layer of material,

the voltage between said first and second conductive regions is proportional to the magnitude of the magnetic field B passing orthogonal to said electrical current and to said axis extending between said first and second conductive regions and the voltage between one of said first and second conductive regions and said first electrode is proportional to the magnitude of the magnetic field B passing orthogonal to said electrical current and to the axis extending between said one of said first and second conductive regions and said first electrode.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 further including a display coupled to said signal processor circuit.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 further including means for generating a magnetic field in said specimen.