Patent ID: 6011390
Filing Date: 2000-01-04
Classification: G01D,G01R

Abstract:
A sensor chip for determining a sine and cosine value of the angle of the direction of a magnetic field with respect to a line on the chip surface said sensor chip having a plurality of magnetoresistive Wheatstone bridges comprising a sine bridge and a cosine bridge, each of the sine and cosine bridges comprising bridge arms, and the resistances (1.1 to 1.8) of said sine and cosine bridges comprising a series circuit made of a plurality of magnetoresistive laminated elements (2), two current terminals of each laminated element being formed from electronically highly conductive thin film surface elements (3) which cover and overlap the laminated elements (2) at two opposite rims thereof, respectively, and which at their sides facing each other are each defined by an edge (4), said edges (4) of each resistance being parallel to each other characterized in that the rims of the magnetoresistive elements (2) are defined by any continuous, plane geometric figure, that the parallel edges (4) of the electrically highly conductive thin-film strips (3) on the magnetoresistive elements (2) of said resistances which are connected in series (1.1 and 1.2; 1.3 and 1.4; 1.5 and 1.6; 1.7 and 1.8) in each bridge arm mutually define an angle (5) of about 90.degree. respectively, and that the edges (4) parallel to each other of the highly conductive thin-film strips (3) on the magnetoresistive elements (2) of the resistances which correspond to each other in the sine bridge (1.1; 1.2; 1.3 and 1.4) and the cosine bridge (1.5; 1.6; 1.7 and 1.8) form angles of about 45.degree. with each other, respectively, and that the edges (4) parallel to each other, which belong to the sine bridge, are inclined with respect to said line on the chip surface by an angle (6) of about 45.degree..