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, wherein the respective first contacts are arranged along a first line in parallel with a first axis and wherein the respective second contacts are arranged along a second line in parallel with the first axis, wherein first and second lines are spaced apart from one another such that the respective first and second contacts are spaced symmetrically about the first axis; and a controller configured to, at a first time, concurrently apply a first potential to a force contact of a first contact pair, apply a second potential to a force contact of a second contact pair, and apply a third potential to a force contact of a third contact pair; the controller further configured to measure a Hall effect current from a sense contact of the first, second, or third contact pair; while the first, second, and third potentials are applied.