Patent ID: 8922206
Filing Date: 2014-12-30
Classification: G01R,H01L

Abstract:
1. A magnetic field sensor, comprising: a semiconductor substrate having first and second parallel major surfaces; a plurality of vertical Hall elements arranged as a circular vertical Hall (CVH) structure, wherein each one of the plurality of vertical Hall elements is arranged upon a common circular implant region in the first major surface of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the plurality of vertical Hall elements is configured to generate a respective plurality of x-y output signals responsive to a magnetic field having a direction component in an x-y plane parallel to the first major surface of the semiconductor substrate, the x-y plane having an x-direction and a y-direction orthogonal to the x-direction; a plurality of planar Hall elements disposed upon the semiconductor substrate, wherein the plurality of planar Hall elements is arranged in a circular planar Hall (CPH) structure, wherein each one of the plurality of planar Hall elements is arranged upon the common circular implant region of the CVH structure or upon a separate common implant region of the CPH structure, wherein the plurality of planar Hall elements is configured to generate a plurality of z output signals responsive to a magnetic field having a direction component in a z direction orthogonal to the x-y plane; and a processing circuit disposed upon the semiconductor substrate, coupled to receive a signal representative of the plurality of x-y output signals, coupled to receive a signal representative of the plurality of z output signals, configured to generate one or more of an x-y angle signal representative of an angle of the direction component in the x-y-plane, or an x-y magnitude signal representative of a magnitude of the direction component in the x-y plane, and configured to generate a z magnitude signal representative of a magnitude of the direction component in the z direction.