Low offset vertical hall device and current spinning method

摘要

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a vertical Hall-effect device. The device includes at least two supply terminals arranged to supply electrical energy to the first Hall-effect region; and at least one Hall signal terminal arranged to provide a first Hall signal from the first Hall-effect region. The first Hall signal is indicative of a magnetic field which is parallel to the surface of the semiconductor substrate and which acts on the first Hall-effect region. One or more of the at least two supply terminals or one or more of the at least one Hall signal terminal comprises a force contact and a sense contact.

主权项

1. A vertical Hall-effect device, comprising:
a conductive tub having a first conductivity type and disposed in a semiconductor substrate; an isolation structure arranged around a perimeter of the tub to electrically isolate the tub from other semiconductor devices that are outside the perimeter; a plurality of contact pairs having respective first and second contacts in the tub; and a controller configured to, in a first operating phase, concurrently control a first potential at the first contact of a first contact pair, control a second potential at the first contact of a second contact pair, and control a third potential at the first contact of a third contact pair; the controller further configured to measure a Hall effect current at the second contact of the first, second, or third contact pair; while the first, second, and third potentials are present.