Sensor system and device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10151725-B2
Application number	US-201515541037-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2015
Priority date	Jan 9, 2015
Publication date	Dec 11, 2018
Grant date	Dec 11, 2018

Abstract

The invention achieves a lower noise of a sense signal of a FET-type hydrogen sensor. For solving the above problem, one aspect of a sensor system of the invention includes a reference device and a sensor device configured using FETs on a substrate, and further, well potentials of the reference device and the sensor device are electrically isolated from each other.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hydrogen sensor system comprising:
a P-type semiconductor substrate;
a sensor FET that is formed of a P-type FET within a first N-well formed on the P-type semiconductor substrate;
a reference FET that is formed of a P-type FET within a second N-well formed on the P-type semiconductor substrate; and
a detection circuit that detects a difference between threshold voltages of the sensor FET and the reference FET in a gas atmosphere, wherein:
the sensor FET and the reference FET are formed adjacent to each other, and having same structured P-type FET,
the sensor FET has sensitivity to hydrogen and the reference FET is covered by a blocking film which does not have hydrogen permeability, so as the reference FET does not have sensitivity to hydrogen,
the first N-well and second N-well are formed independently, the P-type semiconductor substrate is ground potential and the first N-well and the second N-well are electrically isolated from each other, and potential of first N-well and potential of second N-well are controlled independently, and
a source terminal of the sensor FET and a well terminal of the first N-well are short-circuited, and a source terminal of the reference FET and a well terminal of the second N-well are short-circuited.

2. The hydrogen sensor system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first source-follower circuit that measures the threshold voltage of the sensor FET; and
a second source-follower circuit that measures the threshold voltage of the reference FET and is provided independently of the first source-follower circuit.

3. The hydrogen sensor system according to claim 1 , further comprising a source-follower circuit that measures the threshold voltage of the sensor FET and the threshold voltage of the reference FET, wherein in measuring the threshold voltage of the sensor FET and the threshold voltage of the reference FET, the source-follower circuit and the sensor FET or the source-follower circuit and the reference FET are switched and connected through switching.

4. The hydrogen sensor system according to claim 1 , further comprising a PN junction portion for temperature measurement on the P-type semiconductor substrate.

5. The hydrogen sensor system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the sensor FET includes a first catalytic gate electrode and the first catalytic gate electrode is covered by a film having a through hole; and
the reference FET includes a second catalytic gate electrode and the second catalytic gate electrode is covered by the blocking film which does not have hydrogen permeability.

6. The hydrogen sensor system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a drain current source for sensor FET that is connected to the short-circuited well terminal of the first N-well and the source terminal of the sensor FET;
a source voltage buffer for sensor FET that receives source potential of the sensor FET as an input and outputs the input to the detection circuit;
a source-drain voltage generating circuit for sensor FET that maintains a source-drain voltage of a sensor FET constant;
a drain current source for reference FET that is connected to the short-circuited well terminal of the second N-well and the source terminal of the reference FET;
a source voltage buffer for reference FET that receives the source potential of the reference FET as an input and outputs the input to the detection circuit; and
a source-drain voltage generating circuit for reference FET that maintains a source-drain voltage of a reference FET constant.

7. The hydrogen sensor system according to claim 1 , wherein a structure that generates a signal corresponding to temperature is provided on the semiconductor substrate.

8. The hydrogen sensor system according to claim 7 , wherein a PN junction is provided as the structure generating the signal corresponding to temperature.

9. The hydrogen sensor system according to claim 7 , wherein a resistance member is provided as the structure generating the signal corresponding to temperature.

10. The hydrogen sensor system according to claim 1 , wherein a sensor signal output terminal that outputs a signal representing a threshold voltage of the sensor FET or a change in the threshold voltage;
a reference signal output terminal that outputs a signal representing a threshold voltage of the reference FET or a change in the threshold voltage;
a source potential of the source terminal of the sensor FET, which is short-circuited with the well terminal of the first N-well, is output to the sensor signal output terminal, and
a source potential of the source terminal of the reference FET, which is short-circuited with the well terminal of the second N-well, is output to the reference signal output terminal.

Assignees

• Hitachi Automotive Systems Ltd
• Hitachi Automotive Systems Ltd

Inventors

• Ono Kazuo
• Usagawa Toshiyuki

Classifications

• H10W40/00

  Arrangements for thermal protection or thermal control (integrated devices comprising arrangements for thermal protection H10D89/60) · CPC title

• H10W10/031 Primary

  of isolation regions comprising PN junctions · CPC title

• H10W10/30

  Isolation regions comprising PN junctions · CPC title

• G01K7/01

  using semiconducting elements having PN junctions (G01K7/02, G01K7/16, G01K7/30 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01R19/10

  Measuring sum, difference or ratio · CPC title