Magnetoresistive sensor, related manufacturing method, and related electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9761794-B2
Application number	US-201615245556-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 24, 2016
Priority date	Jun 3, 2014
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a magnetoresistive sensor may include the following steps: forming a trench structure in a substrate, wherein the step of forming the trench structure comprises performing a wet etching process on a substrate material member, wherein the trench structure has a first side, a second side, and a third side, wherein the second side is connected through the first side to the third side, wherein the second side is at a first obtuse angle with respect to a side of the substrate, and wherein the third side is at a second obtuse angle with respect to the side of the substrate; forming a first magnetic element on the first side of the trench structure; forming a second magnetic element on the second side of the trench structure; and forming a third magnetic element on the third side of the trench structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A magnetoresistive sensor comprising:
a substrate that has a trench structure, wherein the trench structure has a first side, a second side, and a third side, wherein the second side is connected through the first side to the third side, wherein the second side is at a first obtuse angle with respect to a side of the substrate, and wherein the third side is at a second obtuse angle with respect to the side of the substrate;
a first magnetic element, which contacts the first side of the trench structure;
a second magnetic element, which contacts the second side of the trench structure; and
a third magnetic element, which contacts the third side of the trench structure, wherein the first, the second, and the third magnetic elements are spaced apart from each other.

2. The magnetoresistive sensor of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first magnetic element, the second magnetic element, and the third magnetic element is positioned between two semiconductor portions of the substrate.

3. The magnetoresistive sensor of claim 1 , wherein the second side is at an angle in a range of 120 degrees to 140 degrees with respect to at least one of the side of the substrate and the first side of the trench structure.

4. The magnetoresistive sensor of claim 1 , wherein the first magnetic element is positioned between two portions of a protective layer, and wherein the two portions of the protective layer are positioned between two semiconductor portions of the substrate.

5. The magnetoresistive sensor of claim 1 , wherein the second magnetic element includes a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion contacts the second side of the trench structure, and wherein the second portion is positioned outside the trench structure, is directly connected the first portion, and is at a third obtuse angle with respect to the first portion.

6. An electronic device comprising:
an electronic component; and
a magnetoresistive sensor electronically connected to the electronic component,
wherein the magnetoresistive sensor comprises a substrate, a first magnetic element, a second magnetic element, and a third magnetic element,
wherein the substrate has a trench structure,
wherein the trench structure has a first side, a second side, and a third side,
wherein the second side is connected through the first side to the third side, wherein the second side is at a first obtuse angle with respect to a side of the substrate,
wherein the third side is at a second obtuse angle with respect to the side of the substrate,
wherein the first magnetic element contacts the first side of the trench structure,
wherein the second magnetic element contacts the second side of the trench structure,
wherein the third magnetic element contacts the third side of the trench structure,
and wherein the first, the second, and the third magnetic elements are spaced apart from each other.

Assignees

• Semiconductor Mfg Int Shanghai Corp

Inventors

• Xu Wei
• Liu Guoan

Classifications

• G01R33/091

  Constructional adaptation of the sensor to specific applications · CPC title

• H01L43/12

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L27/22

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G01R33/09

  Magnetoresistive devices · CPC title

• G01R33/035 Primary

  using superconductive devices · CPC title