Magnetic field sensing element combining a circular vertical hall magnetic field sensing element with a planar hall element
First Claim
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1. A magnetic field sensor, comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate having first and second parallel major surfaces;
a plurality of vertical Hall elements arranged as a circular vertical Hall (CVH) structure, wherein each one of the plurality of vertical Hall elements is arranged upon a common circular implant region in the first major surface of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the plurality of vertical Hall elements is configured to generate a respective plurality of x-y output signals responsive to a magnetic field having a direction component in an x-y plane parallel to the first major surface of the semiconductor substrate, the x-y plane having an x-direction and a y-direction orthogonal to the x-direction;
a plurality of planar Hall elements disposed upon the semiconductor substrate, wherein the plurality of planar Hall elements is arranged in a circular planar Hall (CPH) structure, wherein each one of the plurality of planar Hall elements is arranged upon the common circular implant region of the CVH structure or upon a separate common implant region of the CPH structure, wherein the plurality of planar Hall elements is configured to generate a plurality of z output signals responsive to a magnetic field having a direction component in a z direction orthogonal to the x-y plane; and
a processing circuit disposed upon the semiconductor substrate, coupled to receive a signal representative of the plurality of x-y output signals, coupled to receive a signal representative of the plurality of z output signals, configured to generate one or more of an x-y angle signal representative of an angle of the direction component in the x-y-plane, or an x-y magnitude signal representative of a magnitude of the direction component in the x-y plane, and configured to generate a z magnitude signal representative of a magnitude of the direction component in the z direction.
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Abstract
A magnetic field sensor includes a circular vertical Hall (CVH) sensing element and at least one planar Hall element. The CVH sensing element has contacts arranged over a common implant region in a substrate. In some embodiments, the at least one planar Hall element is formed as a circular planar Hall (CPH) sensing element also having contacts disposed over the common implant region. A CPH sensing element and a method of fabricating the CPH sensing element are separately described.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A magnetic field sensor, comprising:
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a semiconductor substrate having first and second parallel major surfaces; a plurality of vertical Hall elements arranged as a circular vertical Hall (CVH) structure, wherein each one of the plurality of vertical Hall elements is arranged upon a common circular implant region in the first major surface of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the plurality of vertical Hall elements is configured to generate a respective plurality of x-y output signals responsive to a magnetic field having a direction component in an x-y plane parallel to the first major surface of the semiconductor substrate, the x-y plane having an x-direction and a y-direction orthogonal to the x-direction; a plurality of planar Hall elements disposed upon the semiconductor substrate, wherein the plurality of planar Hall elements is arranged in a circular planar Hall (CPH) structure, wherein each one of the plurality of planar Hall elements is arranged upon the common circular implant region of the CVH structure or upon a separate common implant region of the CPH structure, wherein the plurality of planar Hall elements is configured to generate a plurality of z output signals responsive to a magnetic field having a direction component in a z direction orthogonal to the x-y plane; and a processing circuit disposed upon the semiconductor substrate, coupled to receive a signal representative of the plurality of x-y output signals, coupled to receive a signal representative of the plurality of z output signals, configured to generate one or more of an x-y angle signal representative of an angle of the direction component in the x-y-plane, or an x-y magnitude signal representative of a magnitude of the direction component in the x-y plane, and configured to generate a z magnitude signal representative of a magnitude of the direction component in the z direction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification