Electronic device comprising hall effect region with three contacts

• US 9,581,660 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2014
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Ausserlechner, Udo
• Primary Examiner(s): Aurora, Reena
• Application Number:
  US14/539,503
• Publication Number:
  US 20150070009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 324/251, 324/207.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/12 by measuring variations in the magnetic properties of materials resulting from the application of stress
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/07 Hall effect devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/072 Constructional adaptation of the sensor to specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/077 Vertical Hall-effect devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 52/101 Semiconductor Hall-effect devices

Abstract

An electronic device is disclosed as a part of a magnetic field sensor or a mechanical stress sensor. The electronic device includes a Hall effect region, a first contact (temporarily functioning as a first supply contact), a second contact (second supply contact), and a third contact (temporarily functioning as a first sense contact) that are arranged in or on a surface of the Hall effect region. The first contact and the third contact are arranged in a substantially symmetrical manner to each other with respect to the second contact. An electrical current distribution within the Hall effect region is influenced by a physical quantity (e.g. magnetic field strength or mechanical stress) to be measured. A sense signal tapped at the third contact is a function of the current distribution, the sense signal thus being indicative of the physical quantity. A corresponding sensing method using the electronic device is also disclosed.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a Hall effect region;

a first contact arranged in or on a surface of the Hall effect region, and configured to function at least temporarily as a first supply contact for the Hall effect region;

a second contact arranged in or on the surface of the Hall effect region, the second contact being a second supply contact for the Hall effect region; and

a third contact arranged in or on the surface of the Hall effect region, and configured to function at least temporarily as a sense contact;

wherein an electrical current distribution within the Hall effect region is influenced by a physical quantity to be measured, and wherein a sense signal tapped at the third contact is a function of the current distribution, the sense signal thus being indicative of the physical quantity.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the Hall effect region is a first Hall effect region;

wherein the first contact and the third contact form a first pair of contacts that are configured to alternately function as a first momentary supply contact and a first momentary sense contact arranged in or on a surface of the first Hall effect region;

wherein the second contact is a first interconnection contact arranged in or on the surface of the first Hall effect region;

the electronic device further comprising;

a second Hall effect region;

a second pair of contacts that are configured to alternately function as a second momentary supply contact and a second momentary sense contact arranged in or on a surface of the second Hall effect region;

a second interconnection contact arranged in or on the surface of the second Hall effect region; and

a connection configured to connect the first interconnection contact and the second interconnection contact;

wherein a sense signal tapped at at least one of the first momentary sense contact and the second momentary sense contact is a function of the current distribution, the sense signal thus being indicative of the physical quantity.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the first interconnection contact is arranged between the first pair of contacts and wherein the second interconnection contact is arranged between the second pair of contacts.

4. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the first interconnection contact is arranged between the first momentary supply contact and the first momentary sense contact so that a spacing between the first momentary supply contact and the first interconnection contact is substantially equal to a spacing between the first interconnection contact and the first momentary sense contact;

and

wherein the second interconnection contact is arranged between the momentary second supply contact and the momentary sense contact so that a spacing between the second momentary supply contact and the second interconnection contact is substantially equal to a spacing between the second interconnection contact and the second momentary sense contact.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4,

wherein the first pair of contacts and the first interconnection contact are substantially arranged along a line in or on the surface of the first Hall effect region;

and

wherein the second pair of contacts and the second interconnection contact are substantially arranged along a line in or on the surface of the second Hall effect region.

6. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the first pair of contacts and the second pair of contacts is configured for utilization in a spinning current scheme with at least two clock phases, where all sense contacts of a first clock phase are used as supply contacts in a second clock phase and all supply contacts of a first clock phase are used as sense contacts in a second clock phase, and the sense signals of both clock phases are combined to give a total signal that is indicative of the physical quantity.

7. The electronic device according to claim 2, further comprising

a third Hall effect region;

a third pair of contacts that are configured to alternately function as a third momentary supply contact and a third momentary sense contact arranged in or on a surface of the third Hall effect region;

a third interconnection contact arranged in or on the surface of the third Hall effect region;

a fourth Hall effect region;

a fourth pair of contacts that are configured to alternately function as a fourth momentary supply contact and a fourth momentary sense contact arranged in or on a surface of the fourth Hall effect region;

a fourth interconnection contact arranged in or on the surface of the second Hall effect region; and

a further connection configured to connect the third interconnection contact and the fourth interconnection contact so that a further electrical current supplied to the electronic device via the third momentary supply contact and leaving the electronic device via the fourth momentary contact is conducted via the further connection from the third Hall effect region to the fourth Hall effect region.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7, further comprising a first signal extraction circuit configured to provide a first signal on the basis of a first sense signal and a third sense signal, the first sense signal being tapped at the first momentary sense contact and the third sense signal being tapped at the third momentary sense contact;

and

a second signal extraction circuit configured to provide a second signal on the basis of a second sense signal and a fourth sense signal, the second sense signal being tapped at the second momentary contact and the fourth sense signal being tapped at the fourth momentary sense contact.

9. The electronic device according to claim 7,

wherein the first interconnection contact is located between the first momentary supply contact and the first momentary sense contact;

wherein the third interconnection contact is located between the third momentary supply contact and the third momentary sense contact, the third momentary supply contact and the third momentary sense contact being arranged with respect to the third interconnection contact in a mirrored manner compared to the arrangement of the first momentary supply contact and the first momentary sense contact with respect to the first interconnection contact;

wherein the second interconnection contact is located between the second momentary supply contact and the second momentary sense contact; and

wherein the fourth interconnection contact is located between the fourth momentary supply contact and the fourth momentary sense contact, the fourth momentary supply contact and the fourth momentary sense contact being arranged with respect to the fourth interconnection contact in a mirrored manner compared to the arrangement of the second momentary supply contact and the second momentary sense contact with respect to the second interconnection contact.

10. The electronic device according to claim 7,

wherein the first interconnection contact is located between the first momentary supply contact and the first momentary sense contact;

wherein the third interconnection contact is located between the third momentary supply contact and the third momentary sense contact in an arrangement substantially alike to the arrangement of the first momentary supply contact and the first momentary sense contact with respect to the first interconnection contact;

wherein the second interconnection contact is located between the second momentary supply contact and the second momentary sense contact; and

wherein the fourth interconnection contact is located between the fourth momentary supply contact and the fourth momentary sense contact in an arrangement substantially alike to the arrangement of the second momentary supply contact and the second momentary sense contact with respect to the second interconnection contact.

11. The electronic device according to claim 7, further comprising a feedback circuit selectively connected to the first momentary sense contact and the third momentary sense contact, the feedback circuit being configured to add an electrical current at one of its input terminals to make the electrical potentials at both input terminals substantially identical.

12. The electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the first Hall effect region, the second Hall effect region, the third Hall effect region, and the fourth Hall effect region are arranged along a single line, along a single column, in an interdigitated manner, or in an interleaved manner.

13. The electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the first Hall effect region, the second Hall effect region, the third Hall effect region, and the fourth Hall effect region are arranged in a quadrangle, wherein the first Hall effect region and the second Hall effect region are arranged in a first quadrant and a third quadrant, respectively, and wherein the third Hall effect region and the fourth Hall effect region are located in a second quadrant and a fourth quadrant, respectively.

14. The electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the first Hall effect region and the second Hall effect region are arranged along a first direction and wherein the third Hall effect region and the fourth Hall effect region are arranged along a second direction defining a non-zero angle with the first direction.

15. The electronic device according to claim 7, further comprising a sense signal evaluator configured to be connected to the momentary sense contact of the first pair of contacts and to the momentary sense contact of the third pair of contacts, and further configured to process a differential sense signal that is based on both sense signals provided at the first momentary sense contact and the third momentary sense contact.

16. The electronic device according to claim 2, further comprising a current sensing device connectable to one or both of the first momentary sense contact and the second momentary sense contact and wherein the electrical current sensed by the current sense device represents the signal between the first momentary sense contact and the second momentary sense contact, a variation of which is indicative of the magnitude of a variation of the physical quantity.

17. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the first Hall effect region and the second Hall effect region are disposed at a non-zero angle to each other.

18. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the electronic device is a Hall effect device sensitive to a magnetic field parallel to the surfaces of the first Hall effect region and the second Hall effect region and substantially perpendicular to a current flow direction of the electrical current within at least one of the first Hall effect region and the second Hall effect region.

19. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the electronic device is a mechanical stress sensor, and wherein the momentary sense contacts of the first and second pairs of the contacts are arranged relative to the momentary supply contacts of the first and second pairs of contacts in a manner that an electrical current within the first Hall effect region passing by the first momentary sense contact has substantially the same direction as an electrical current within the second Hall effect region passing by the second momentary sense contact, whereby the mechanical stress sensor is sensitive to a mechanical stress within at least one of the first Hall effect region and the second Hall effect region.

20. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein, with respect to contacts of the first and second Hall effect regions, the first Hall effect region comprises just the first pair of contacts and the first interconnection contact, and wherein the second Hall effect region comprises just the second pair of contacts and the second interconnection contact.

21. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the first interconnection contact is connected to the second interconnection contact of the second group so that the first Hall effect region and the second Hall effect region are connected in series with respect to the first momentary supply contact and the second momentary supply contact.

22. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the first contact and the third contact are arranged in a substantially symmetrical manner to each other with respect to the second contact.

23. An electronic device comprising:

a Hall effect region;

a first contact arranged in or on a surface of the Hall effect region and configured to at least temporarily function as a supply contact;

a second contact arranged in or on the surface of the Hall effect region and configured to function as a further supply contact; and

a third contact arranged in or on the surface of the Hall effect region configured to at least temporarily function as a sense contact; and

wherein an electrical current distribution within the Hall effect region is influenced by a physical quantity to be measured and wherein a sense signal tapped at the third contact is a function of the current distribution, the sense signal thus being indicative of the physical quantity;

wherein the Hall effect region is a first Hall effect region;

wherein the first contact and the third contact form a first pair of contacts that are configured to alternately function as a first momentary supply contact and a first momentary sense contact arranged in or on a surface of the first Hall effect region;

wherein the second contact is a first interconnection contact arranged in or on the surface of the first Hall effect region;

the electronic device further comprising;

a second Hall effect region;

a second pair of contacts that are configured to alternately function as a second momentary supply contact and a second momentary sense contact arranged in or on a surface of the second Hall effect region;

a second interconnection contact arranged in or on the surface of the second Hall effect region; and

a connection configured to connect the first interconnection contact and the second interconnection contact;

wherein a sense signal tapped at at least one of the first momentary sense contact and the second momentary sense contact is a function of the current distribution, the sense signal thus being indicative of the physical quantity.

24. The electronic device according to claim 23, wherein the third contact being at a first distance from the first contact and at a second distance from the second contact, and wherein a distance between the first contact and the second contact is smaller than a maximum of the first distance and the second distance.