Integrated fluxgate device with three-dimensional sensing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10914796-B2
Application number	US-201615016507-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 5, 2016
Priority date	Feb 5, 2016
Publication date	Feb 9, 2021
Grant date	Feb 9, 2021

Abstract

An electromagnetic sensing device with a package substrate, a first die mounted on the package substrate, and a second die mounted on the package substrate. The first die includes a first integrated circuit and a first magnetic core formed above the first integrated circuit. The first magnetic core has a first sensing axis parallel to a planar surface of the package substrate. The second die includes a second integrated circuit and a second magnetic core formed above the second integrated circuit. The second magnetic core has a second sensing axis orthogonal to the planar surface of the package substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An integrated fluxgate device, comprising:
a package substrate having a planar surface;
a first integrated fluxgate die mounted on the planar surface of the package substrate, the first integrated fluxgate die including:
a first semiconductor substrate;
an integrated circuit formed on the first semiconductor substrate; and
a magnetic core formed above the integrated circuit and oriented parallel to the planar surface of the package substrate; and

a second integrated fluxgate die mounted on the planar surface of the package substrate, the second integrated fluxgate die including:
a second semiconductor substrate;
an integrated circuit formed on the second semiconductor substrate; and
segmented magnetic cores formed above the integrated circuit and oriented orthogonally to the planar surface of the package substrate.

2. The integrated fluxgate device of claim 1 , wherein the first integrated fluxgate die includes another magnetic core formed above the integrated circuit and oriented parallel to the planar surface of the package substrate and orthogonally to each of the magnetic cores.

3. The integrated fluxgate device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a third integrated fluxgate die mounted on the planar surface of the package substrate, the third integrated fluxgate die including:
a semiconductor substrate;
an integrated circuit formed on the semiconductor substrate; and
a magnetic core formed above the integrated circuit and oriented parallel to the planar surface of the package substrate and orthogonally to the magnetic cores of the first and second integrated fluxgate dies.

4. The integrated fluxgate device of claim 1 , wherein:
the second integrated fluxgate die has a vertical edge, a first horizontal edge, and a mountable surface defined by the vertical edge and the first horizontal edge; and
the second integrated fluxgate die is mounted to the package substrate by the mountable surface.

5. The integrated fluxgate device of claim 4 , wherein the second integrated fluxgate die has a second horizontal edge arranged perpendicular to the first horizontal edge, the second horizontal edge having a length less than 1 mm and position orthogonally to the planar surface of the package substrate.

6. The integrated fluxgate device of claim 4 , wherein the integrated circuit of the second integrated fluxgate die includes a top metal layer arranged orthogonally to the vertical edge and parallel to the first horizontal edge.

7. The integrated fluxgate device of claim 4 , wherein the segmented magnetic cores of the second integrated fluxgate die are aligned in parallel with each other and orthogonally to the vertical edge of the second integrated fluxgate die.

8. The integrated fluxgate device of claim 7 , wherein each of the segmented magnetic cores has a segment length equal to or less than 0.7 mm.

9. The integrated fluxgate device of claim 7 , wherein:
the magnetic core of the first integrated fluxgate die has a contiguous core length; and
the segmented magnetic cores of the second integrated fluxgate die have an aggregated core length substantially the same as the contiguous core length.

10. The integrated fluxgate device of claim 7 , wherein:
the magnetic core of the first integrated fluxgate die has a contiguous core length; and
each of the segmented magnetic cores of the second integrated fluxgate die has a core length approximately one-third of the contiguous core length.

11. The integrated fluxgate device of claim 1 , wherein the segmented magnetic cores function as an aggregated magnetic core when electromagnetic coupling is established.

12. The integrated fluxgate device of claim 1 , wherein the second integrated fluxgate die includes a contiguous coil encompassing a coil segment of each of the segmented magnetic cores.

13. The integrated fluxgate device of claim 1 , wherein the segmented magnetic cores are electrically coupled together in series.

14. An electromagnetic sensing device, comprising:
a package substrate having a planar surface;
a first die mounted on the package substrate, the first die including:
an integrated circuit; and
a magnetic core formed above the integrated circuit, and having a sensing axis parallel to the planar surface of the package substrate; and

a second die mounted on the package substrate, the second die including:
an integrated circuit; and
segmented magnetic cores formed above the integrated circuit, and having a sensing axis orthogonal to the planar surface of the package substrate.

15. The electromagnetic sensing device of claim 14 , wherein:
the first die includes a second magnetic core formed above the integrated circuit; and
the second magnetic core includes a second sensing axis parallel to the planar surface of the package substrate and orthogonally to the sensing axis and the sensing axis of the second die.

16. The electromagnetic sensing device of claim 14 , further comprising:
a third die mounted on the package substrate, the third die including:
an integrated circuit; and
a magnetic core formed above the integrated circuit, and having a sensing axis parallel to the planar surface and orthogonal to the sensing axis of the first die and the sensing axis of the second die.

17. The electromagnetic sensing device of claim 14 , wherein:
the integrated circuit of the first die is configured to generate an excitation signal; and
the magnetic core of the first die is configured to sense a magnetic field along the sensing axis in response to the excitation signal.

18. The electromagnetic sensing device of claim 17 , wherein:
the integrated circuit of the second die is configured to generate an excitation signal; and
the magnetic core of the second die is configured to sense a magnetic field along the sensing axis in response to the excitation signal.

19. The electromagnetic sensing device of claim 17 , wherein:
the magnetic core of the second die is configured to sense a magnetic field along the sensing axis in response to the excitation signal generated by the integrated circuit of the first die; and
the integrated circuit is configured to measure the sensed magnetic field in response to the excitation signal generated by the integrated circuit of the first die.

20. The electronic sensing device of claim 14 , wherein the segmented magnetic cores function as an aggregated magnetic core when electromagnetic coupling is established.

21. The electronic sensing device of claim 14 , wherein the second integrated fluxgate die includes a contiguous coil encompassing a coil segment of each of the segmented magnetic cores.

22. The electronic sensing device of claim 14 , wherein the segmented magnetic cores are electrically coupled together in series.

23. A method of making an integrated fluxgate device, comprising:
providing a package substrate having a planar surface;
providing a first integrated fluxgate die mounted on the planar surface of the package substrate, the first integrated fluxgate die including:
a first semiconductor substrate;
an integrated circuit formed on the first semiconductor substrate; and
a magnetic core formed above the integrated circuit and oriented parallel to the planar surface of the package substrate; and

providing a second integrated fluxgate die mounted on the planar surface of the package substrate, the second integrated fluxgate die including:
a second semiconductor substrate;
an integrated circuit f

Assignees

• Texas Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Mohan Anuraag
• French William David
• Udompanyavit Ubol

Classifications

• H10W90/00

  Package configurations · CPC title

• G01R33/0206

  Three-component magnetometers · CPC title

• G01R33/04 Primary

  using the flux-gate principle · CPC title

• H01L25/04

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L43/00

  Electricity · mapped topic