Electronic device with ring-connected hall effect regions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9007060-B2
Application number	US-201113187935-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2011
Priority date	Jul 21, 2011
Publication date	Apr 14, 2015
Grant date	Apr 14, 2015

Abstract

An electronic device includes a number of n Hall effect regions with n>1, wherein the n Hall effect regions are isolated from each other. The electronic device also includes at least eight contacts in or on surfaces of the n Hall effect regions, wherein the contacts include: a first and a second contact of each Hall effect region. A first contact of the (k+1)-th Hall effect region is connected to the second contact of the k-th Hall effect region for k=1 to n−1, and the first contact of the first Hall effect region is connected to the second contact of the n-th Hall effect region. The at least eight contacts include at least two supply contacts and at least two sense contacts. Each Hall effect region includes at most one of the at least two supply contacts and at most one of the at least two sense contacts.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
an integer number of n Hall effect regions, with n>1, wherein the n Hall effect regions are isolated from each other;
wherein the electronic device comprises at least eight contacts in or on surfaces of the n Hall effect regions, wherein the contacts comprise a first and a second contact of each Hall effect region;
wherein a first contact of the (k+1)-th Hall effect region is connected to a second contact of the k-th Hall effect region for k =1 to n−1, and a first contact of the first Hall effect region is connected to a second contact of the n-th Hall effect region;
wherein the at least eight contacts comprise at least two contacts configured to function as supply contacts during a first operating phase of a spinning current scheme and to function as sense contacts during a second phase of the spinning current scheme and at least two contacts configured to function as sense contacts during the first operating phase of the spinning current scheme and to function as supply contacts during the second operating phase of the spinning current scheme;
wherein each Hall effect region comprises one of the at least two supply contacts; and
wherein each Hall effect region comprises one of the at least two sense contacts.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein n=2 so that the number of n Hall effect regions comprises a first Hall effect region and a second Hall effect region,
wherein one of the at least two supply contacts is formed in or on the surface of the first Hall effect region and another one of the at least two supply contacts is formed in or on the surface of the second Hall effect region, and
wherein one of the at least two sense contacts is formed in or on the surface of the first Hall effect region and another one of the at least two sense contacts is formed in or on the surface of the second Hall effect region.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2 , wherein the first Hall effect region comprises a first end and a second end, and wherein the second Hall effect region comprises a first end and a second end,
wherein the first and second contacts of the first and second Hall effect regions are closer to one of the first end and the second end of a corresponding one of the first and second Hall effect regions than the at least two supply contacts and the at least two sense contacts, respectively.

4. The electronic device according to claim 2 , wherein the first and second Hall effect regions each comprise a first end and a second end, and wherein the first and second contacts of the first and second Hall effect regions are farther away from at least one of the first and second ends of a corresponding one of a first and second Hall effect regions than at least one of the supply contacts and the sense contacts.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein n=4,
wherein the at least two supply contacts and the at least two sense contacts are formed in or on the surfaces of the Hall effect regions in addition to the corresponding first and second contacts so that at least three contacts are formed in or on the surface of each Hall effect region, and
wherein a Hall effect region, in or on a surface of which a sense contact is formed, is electrically connected, by means of the first and second contacts, between two Hall effect regions, in or on the surfaces of which supply contacts are formed.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein n=4, wherein each supply contact of the at least two supply contacts coincides with at least one of the first and second contacts of at least one Hall effect region, and wherein each sense contact of the at least two sense contacts coincides with at least one of the first and second contacts of at least one Hall effect region.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic device is symmetric with respect to at least one center plane.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one floating contact formed in or on the surface of at least one of the Hall effect regions.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein each Hall effect region comprises a first end and a second end, and wherein at least two of the Hall effect regions are disposed side by side so that the first end of the one of the at least two Hall effect regions is adjacent to the second end of an adjacent Hall effect region, and vice versa.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein at least two of the Hall effect regions are disposed along a line.

11. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein at least two of the Hall effect regions are disposed at a non-zero angle with respect to each other.

12. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the Hall effect regions is longitudinally and laterally offset with respect to at least one other Hall effect region.

13. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the Hall effect regions are substantially identical with respect to at least one of lateral geometry, vertical geometry, material, and material properties.

14. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein a spacing between adjacent contacts in a Hall effect region is on the order of ⅕ th to 5 times of a depth of the Hall effect region.

15. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein a size of each contact in a length direction with respect to a corresponding Hall effect region is on the order of ⅕ th to 5 times of a depth of the corresponding Hall effect region.

16. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one contact of the first and second contacts, the at least two supply contacts and the at least two sense contacts are ohmic contacts.

17. The electronic device according to claim 1 , further comprising a spinning current controller configured to control the at least two supply contacts and the at least two sense contacts in accordance with a spinning current scheme regarding an operating phase-defined function of an individual contact as one of the two supply contacts or one of the two sense contacts.

18. An electronic device comprising:
an integer number of n Hall effect regions, with n>1, wherein the n Hall effect regions are isolated from each other;
wherein the electronic device comprises at least eight contacts in or on surfaces of the n Hall effect regions, wherein the contacts comprise a first and a second contact of each Hall effect region;
wherein a first contact of the (k+1)-th Hall effect region is connected to a second contact of the k-th Hall effect region for k=1 to n−1, and a first contact of the first Hall effect region is connected to a second contact of the n-th Hall effect region;
wherein the at least eight contacts comprise at least two supply contacts and at least two sense contacts;
wherein each Hall effect region comprises one of the at least two supply contacts;
wherein each Hall effect region comprises one of the at least two sense contacts, and wherein all contacts in or on the surface of a Hall effect region are arranged along a straight line.

19. An electronic device comprising:
an integer number of n Hall effect regions, with n>1, wherein the n Hall effect regions are isolated from each other;
wherein the electronic device comprises at least eight contacts in or on surfaces of the n Hall effect regions, wherein the contacts comprise a first and a second contact of each Hall effect region;
wherein a first contact of the (k+1)-th Hall effect r

Assignees

• Ausserlechner Udo
• Infineon Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Ausserlechner Udo

Classifications

• G01L1/12 Primary

  by measuring variations in the magnetic properties of materials resulting from the application of stress · CPC title

• G01R33/072

  Constructional adaptation of the sensor to specific applications · CPC title

• G01D5/145

  influenced by the relative movement between the Hall device and magnetic fields (see G01R33/06) · CPC title

• G01R33/07

  Hall effect devices · CPC title

• H10N52/101 Primary

  Semiconductor Hall-effect devices · CPC title