Hall sensor devices and methods for operating the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10578680-B2
Application number	US-201715664297-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2017
Priority date	Aug 1, 2016
Publication date	Mar 3, 2020
Grant date	Mar 3, 2020

Abstract

A Hall sensor device includes a Hall effect region of a first conductivity type, electrical contact regions configured to provide electrical signals to/from the Hall effect region, and circuitry. Each electrical contact region is formed in a respective well of a second conductivity type that adjoins the Hall effect region. Circuitry includes control terminals, wherein each control terminal is configured to control a conductance in an associated well of the second conductivity type. The circuitry is configured to selectively apply control signals to a first subset of the control terminals to form channels conducting majority carriers of the first conductivity type in the associated wells during a first operating phase, and to selectively apply control signals to a second subset of the control terminals to form channels conducting majority carriers of the first conductivity type in the associated wells during a second operating phase.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A Hall sensor device, comprising:
a Hall effect region of a first conductivity type formed in a semiconductor substrate;
a plurality of first wells of a second conductivity type formed in the semiconductor substrate;
a plurality of electrical contact regions configured to provide electrical signals to and from the Hall effect region, wherein each electrical contact region is formed in a respective first well of the first plurality of wells that adjoins the Hall effect region, wherein each electrical contact region is laterally separated from the Hall effect region by its respective first well; and
circuitry comprising a plurality of control terminals, wherein each control terminal is configured to control a conductance in an associated first well of the plurality of first wells, wherein the circuitry is configured to:
selectively apply control signals to a first subset of the plurality of control terminals to form channels conducting majority carriers of the first conductivity type in associated first wells of the plurality of first wells during a first operating phase,
wherein the first subset of the plurality of control terminals are configured to activate an associated first subset of the plurality of electrical contact regions during the first operating phase, the associated first subset of the plurality of electrical contact regions including at least two electrical contact regions used to supply at least one first input signal to the Hall effect region during the first operating phase and at least two electrical contact regions used to tap at least one first output signal from the Hall effect region during the first operating phase, and
selectively apply control signals to a second subset of the plurality of control terminals, different from the first subset of the plurality of control terminals, to form channels conducting majority carriers of the first conductivity type in associated first wells of the plurality of first wells during a second operating phase,
wherein the second subset of the plurality of control terminals are configured to activate an associated second subset of the plurality of electrical contact regions during the second operating phase, the associated second subset of the plurality of electrical contact regions including at least two electrical contact regions used to supply at least one second input signal to the Hall effect region during the second operating phase and at least two electrical contact regions used to tap at least one second output signal from the Hall effect region during the second operating phase.

2. The Hall sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the first operating phase comprises a full first spinning scheme, and wherein the second operating phase comprises a full second spinning scheme.

3. The Hall sensor device of claim 1 , further comprising:
combining circuitry configured to combine the at least one first output signal from the Hall effect region provided by the associated first subset of the plurality of electrical contact regions during the first operating phase with the at least one second output signal from the Hall effect region provided by the associated second subset of the plurality of electrical contact regions during the second operating phase to generate a combined output signal of the Hall sensor device.

4. The Hall sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electrical contact regions are equal in size.

5. The Hall sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electrical contact regions are arranged along at least 75% of a periphery of the Hall effect region.

6. The Hall sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the first subset of the plurality of control terminals and the second subset of the plurality of control terminals are mutually exclusive from each other.

7. The Hall sensor device of any of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of control terminals comprised by the first subset of the plurality of control terminals is comprised by the second subset of the plurality of control terminals.

8. The Hall sensor device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of electrical contact regions is of the first conductivity type.

9. The Hall sensor device of claim 1 , wherein:
the channels conducting the majority carriers of the first conductivity type in the associated first wells during the first operating phase are formed between the associated first subset of the plurality of electrical contact regions and the Hall effect region, and
the channels conducting the majority carriers of the first conductivity type in the associated first wells during the second operating phase are formed between the associated second subset of the plurality of electrical contact regions and the Hall effect region.

10. The Hall sensor device of claim 9 , wherein each electrical contact region of the associated second subset of the plurality of electrical contact regions is arranged between two electrical contact regions of the associated first subset of the plurality of electrical contact regions, respectively.

11. The Hall sensor device of claim 9 , wherein the associated first subset of the plurality of electrical contact regions are rotated by 90° with respect to each other about a geometrical center of the Hall effect region.

12. The Hall sensor device of any of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of second wells of the first conductivity type, each adjoining the Hall effect region and a respective first well of the second conductivity type, wherein a concentration of majority carriers of the first conductivity type in the plurality of second wells of the first conductivity type is higher than a concentration of majority carriers of the first conductivity type in the Hall effect region.

13. The Hall sensor device of claim 12 , wherein a thickness of each of the plurality of second wells of the first conductivity type is 50% or more of a thickness of the Hall effect region.

14. The Hall sensor device of claim 12 , wherein:
the channels conducting the majority carriers of the first conductivity type in the associated first wells of the second conductivity type during the first operating phase are formed between the associated first subset of the plurality of electrical contact regions and an associated first subset of the plurality of second wells of the first conductivity type, and
the channels conducting the majority carriers of the first conductivity type in the associated first wells of the second conductivity type during the second operating phase are formed between the associated second subset of the plurality of electrical contact regions and an associated second subset of the plurality of second wells of the first conductivity type.

15. The Hall sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to deactivate the associated first subset of the plurality of electrical contact regions during the second operating phase, and to deactivate the associated second subset of the plurality of electrical contact regions during the first operating phase.

16. The Hall sensor device of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of electrical contact regions is configured to supply an input signal to the to the Hall effect region during one of a plurality of operating phases and tap an output signal from the Hall effect region during a different one of the plurality of operating phases.

17. A Hall sensor device, comprising:
a Hall effect region of a first conductivity type implemented in a semiconductor substrate;
a plurality of wells of a second conductivity type formed i

Assignees

• Infineon Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Ausserlechner Udo

Classifications

• G01R33/07

  Hall effect devices · CPC title

• G01R33/072

  Constructional adaptation of the sensor to specific applications · CPC title

• G01R33/0029 Primary

  Treating the measured signals, e.g. removing offset or noise · CPC title

• H10N52/00 Primary

  Hall-effect devices (integrated devices or assemblies of multiple devices H10N59/00) · CPC title

• H10N52/80

  Constructional details · CPC title