Hall effect sensing element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9857437-B2
Application number	US-201615088493-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 1, 2016
Priority date	Apr 10, 2015
Publication date	Jan 2, 2018
Grant date	Jan 2, 2018

Abstract

In one aspect, a Hall Effect sensing element includes a Hall plate having a thickness less than about 100 nanometers an adhesion layer directly in contact with the Hall plate and having a thickness in a range about 0.1 nanometers to 5 nanometers. In another aspect, a sensor includes a Hall Effect sensing element. The Hall Effect sensing element includes a substrate that includes one of a semiconductor material or an insulator material, an insulation layer in direct contact with the substrate, an adhesion layer having a thickness in a range of about 0.1 nanometers to 5 nanometers and in direct contact with the insulation layer and a Hall plate in direct contact with the adhesion layer and having a thickness less than about 100 nanometers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A Hall Effect sensing element comprising:
a Hall plate having a thickness less than about 100 nanometers, wherein the Hall plate is a copper oxide; and
an adhesion layer directly in contact with the Hall plate and having a thickness in a range about 0.1 nanometers to 5 nanometers.

2. The Hall Effect sensing element of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the Hall plate is less than about 10 nm.

3. The Hall Effect sensing element of claim 1 , wherein the Hall plate has a carrier concentration in a range of about 10 19 to about 10 26 carriers per cubic centimeter.

4. The Hall Effect sensing element of claim 3 , wherein the Hall plate has a carrier concentration is in a range of about 10 22 to 10 24 carriers per cubic centimeter.

5. The Hall Effect sensing element of claim 1 , wherein the copper oxide is cuprous oxide.

6. The Hall Effect sensing element of claim 1 , wherein the adhesion layer is one of ruthenium or ruthenium oxide.

7. The Hall Effect sensing element of claim 1 , further comprising a substrate comprising one of a semiconductor material or an insulator material,
wherein the adhesion layer is disposed between the plate material and the substrate material.

8. The Hall Effect sensing element of claim 7 , further comprising an integrated circuit on the semiconductor substrate material.

9. The Hall Effect sensing element of claim 8 , further comprising vias connecting the Hall effect sensing element to the integrated circuit from the bottom or substrate side of the Hall effect sensing element.

10. The Hall Effect sensing element of claim 8 , further comprising vias connecting the Hall effect sensing element to the integrated circuit from the top or furthest side of the Hall effect sensing element away from the substrate or integrated circuit.

11. The Hall Effect sensing element of claim 7 , wherein the semiconductor material comprises silicon.

12. The Hall Effect sensing element of claim 7 , wherein the insulator material comprises at least one of glass or a ceramic material.

13. The Hall Effect sensing element of claim 7 , wherein the insulator material comprises alumina.

14. The Hall Effect sensing element of claim 7 , wherein the insulator material comprises an oxide or nitride.

15. The Hall Effect sensing element of claim 1 , further comprising a passivation layer directly in contact with the Hall plate.

16. The Hall Effect sensing element of claim 15 , wherein the passivation layer is at least one of a nitride, an oxide, a polymer, a polyimide, or benzocyclobutene (BCB).

17. A sensor comprising:
a Hall Effect sensing element comprising:
a substrate comprising one of a semiconductor material or an insulator material;
an insulation layer in direct contact with the substrate;
an adhesion layer having a thickness in a range of about 0.1 nanometers to 5 nanometers and in direct contact with the insulation layer, the adhesion layer is one of ruthenium or ruthenium oxide; and
a Hall plate in direct contact with the adhesion layer and having a thickness less than about 100 nanometers, the Hall plate is a copper oxide.

18. The sensor of claim 17 , wherein the thickness of the Hall plate is less than about 10 nm.

19. The sensor of claim 17 , wherein the Hall plate has a carrier concentration is in a range of about 10 22 to 10 24 carriers per cubic centimeter.

20. The sensor of claim 17 , wherein the semiconductor material comprises silicon.

21. The sensor of claim 17 , wherein the insulator material comprises at least one of glass or a ceramic material.

22. The sensor of claim 21 , wherein the insulator material comprises alumina.

23. The sensor of claim 17 , further comprising a passivation layer directly in contact with the Hall plate.

24. The sensor of claim 23 , wherein the passivation layer is at least one of a nitride, an oxide, a polyimide, or benzocyclobutene (BCB).

25. The sensor of claim 17 , wherein the sensor is one of a current sensor or a speed sensor.

26. A method to manufacture a Hall Effect sensing element, comprising:
forming, on a substrate, a plate material having a thickness less than about 100 nanometers, the plate material is a copper oxide; and
forming an adhesion layer directly in contact with the Hall plate and having a thickness in a range about 0.1 nanometers to 5 nanometers, the adhesion layer is one of ruthenium or ruthenium oxide.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein the Hall plate has a thickness less than 10 nm.

28. The method of claim 26 , wherein the Hall plate has a carrier concentration of in a range of about 10 19 to about 10 26 carriers per cubic centimeter.

29. The method of claim 28 , wherein the thickness of the Hall plate is in a range of about 1 nm to 10 nm and the carrier concentration is about 10 22 to 10 24 carriers per cubic centimeter.

30. The method of claim 26 , further comprising forming a plate material comprising:
sputtering copper in a chamber under vacuum; and
inserting oxygen into the chamber.

31. The method of claim 30 , wherein sputtering copper in a chamber under vacuum and inserting oxygen into the chamber comprises sputtering copper in a chamber under vacuum while inserting oxygen into the chamber.

32. The method of claim 30 , wherein sputtering copper in a chamber under vacuum and inserting oxygen into the chamber comprises sputtering copper in a chamber under vacuum before inserting oxygen into the chamber.

33. The method of claim 30 , wherein sputtering copper in a chamber under vacuum and inserting oxygen into the chamber comprises sputtering copper in a chamber under vacuum after inserting oxygen into the chamber.

Assignees

• Allegro Microsystems Llc

Inventors

• Taylor William P
• Wong Harianto

Classifications

• H10W90/756

  between a chip and a stacked lead frame, conducting package substrate or heat sink · CPC title

• H10W20/20

  Interconnections within wafers or substrates, e.g. through-silicon vias [TSV] · CPC title

• G01R33/07 Primary

  Hall effect devices · CPC title

• G01R33/0052

  Manufacturing aspects; Manufacturing of single devices, i.e. of semiconductor magnetic sensor chips (devices based on galvano-magnetic effect or the like H10N50/85) · CPC title

• H10B61/00

  Magnetic memory devices, e.g. magnetoresistive RAM [MRAM] devices · CPC title